Meghan Markle Admits She Is 'Missing My Babies' Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet on Mother's Day in Nigeria

The Duchess of Sussex spoke about her kids during one of the last stops in Nigeria

Meghan Markle was thinking of her children on Mother's Day during her trip to Nigeria with Prince Harry.

The Duchess of Sussex, 42, admitted she was missing Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 2, on Mother's Day on May 12 during a brief speech at the State Governor House in Lagos. Her comments came during the penultimate stop on her final day in Nigeria, which kicked off on May 10.

"I am very, very grateful, I am very humbled, and today is Mother's Day," Meghan said with a smile in a video shared to TikTok by Arochukwu Network.

"So it feels appropriate, but though of course we are missing our children, I'm missing my babies, but it feels very appropriate to be in the motherland and amongst family," she continued, referring to her young son and daughter and her Nigerian heritage. "So thank you so much for the kindness and for these beautiful names. I'm very grateful and we can't wait to come back."

Related: Meghan Markle Wears Princess Diana's Cross Necklace in Nigeria, a Gift from Prince Harry (Exclusive)

The Duchess of Sussex then handed over the mic and walked over to Prince Harry, who joined the audience in applauding her remarks.

"I'll skip the protocol because at this point we're all family. Firstly, thank you for welcoming my wife and myself to Nigeria. It's our first visit, certainly won't be our last," the Duke of Sussex said as the crowd cheered on, per a video posted to X (formerly known as Twitter).

Meghan and Harry, 39, packed a whirlwind agenda of engagements into their three-day stay in Nigeria, and the Duchess of Sussex wore a dress connected to her kids for the reception at the State Governor House in Lagos. The yellow floor-length Carolina Herrera dress Meghan wore was created for her when she was pregnant with Prince Archie, and she previously sported it for his first birthday in 2020. Meghan wore the flowing gown again for her pregnancy announcement when she and Prince Harry publicly revealed she was expecting Lili on Valentine's Day in February 2021.

The May 12 reception at State Governor House was attended by PEOPLE, and hosted by the Governor of Lagos, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, along with Nigeria's Chief of Defense Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa OFR, who invited Prince Harry and Meghan couple to visit the country. As seen in the TikTok video, Meghan also wore the green striped shawl she received as a gift from the governor's wife over her shoulder during her brief speech.

Related: All the Best Photos from Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Nigeria Trip!

Though they didn't tag along, the Duchess of Sussex spoke about her children multiple times during the mini-tour of Nigeria. During their first outing to Lightway Academy in Abuja on May 10, where they spent time with school children, Meghan revealed that "singing and dancing" was Lili’s "favorite class," probably because of “all the jumping around." Meghan added that Archie liked construction, as children showed off their robotic projects in a STEM class.

The next day, she spoke with candor about parenthood during a panel she co-hosted with Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization, focused on Women in Leadership.

"I love being a mom, I love being a mom," Meghan said in the wide-ranging conversation on heritage, motherhood, career building and more, musing on the elusive quest for balance later during the discussion on May 11.

"What I think that to mean now is that that balance will always change for you. That balance, what seems balanced 10 years ago, is going to shift. And so being a mom has always been a dream of mine. And I'm so fortunate that we have two beautiful, healthy, very chatty sweet children," Meghan said about Archie and Lilibet.

The Duke and Duchess of Susex advocated for mental health awareness and promoted Prince Harry's Invictus Games during their trip to Nigeria, which kicked off May 10 and concluded on May 12. PEOPLE's chief foreign correspondent Simon Perry exclusively joined the trip to cover the couple's various outings.

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Nigeria participated in the Invictus Games for the first time in September 2023, and the couple met with military families and Invictus-affiliated charity Nigeria: Unconquered during the trip, which included a solo stop at a military hospital for Harry.

The visit also celebrates Meghan's recent discovery that she is of Nigerian heritage. In 2022, she revealed that she learned she is 43% Nigerian through a genealogy test, and spoke about feeling a connection to the country throughout the tour.

While visiting Lightway Academy on the first day away, Meghan spoke from the heart to schoolchildren during the GEANCO Foundation’s inaugural mental health summit when she said, "I see myself in all of you."

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