Meghan Markle Recognized Herself in Young Girls She Visited in Nigeria: ‘I See the Potential’

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are still reflecting on their three-day trip to Nigeria earlier this month, which included some time speaking with young locals.

Harry, 39, and Meghan, 42, attended a mental health summit in the nation’s capital of Abuja on May 10, where they had a chance to address a group of Nigerian students.

"I saw myself in them. I see the potential in all of these young girls — and, by the way, in these young boys as well," Meghan told People in an interview published on Wednesday, May 15.

The pair were in Nigeria to promote their Archewell Foundation’s work in mental health and the Invictus Games. Harry is the founding patron of the games, which honor wounded military veterans. Nigeria joined the event for the first time in 2023.

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Speaking to the crowd at the Lightway Academy, a coed day school, Meghan encouraged young women to fight for “respect, dignity and equality.”

“We believe in you. We believe in your futures,” she insisted. “We believe in your ability to continue to tell your stories and to just be honest with each other. There is no need to suffer in silence. Just make sure that you are taking care of yourselves, and that begins with your mental health by really talking about whatever's coming up for you.”

Harry spoke to the crowd as well, emphasizing to students that “it’s OK not to be OK."

Meghan discovered in 2022 that she is of Nigerian heritage and shared with People that it’s a part of her that she is able to share with her own children. Locals even gave Meghan and Harry a set of books about Nigerian heritage to take home.

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“That’s such a special thing as a mother to know you can do,” she said.

Harry and Meghan are parents to son Archie, 5, and daughter Lilibet, 2, who share in Meghan’s African heritage.

The couple traveled to Nigeria by invitation of the country’s Chief of Defense Staff, Nigeria’s highest-ranking military official. In addition to their stop at Lightway Academy, the two met with the Chief of Defense Staff and visited injured service members at a local military hospital.

Harry and Meghan told People that they look forward to more travel opportunities in the future.

"There’s only so much one can do from home and over Zoom, so we look forward to traveling more because the work matters,” Harry said. “Whether it's the Archewell Foundation, Invictus or any of our other causes, there will always be reasons to meet the people at the heart of our work.”