'Non-working Royals' Harry and Meghan will tour Commonwealth nation Nigeria ... trends now
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will tour Nigeria in an unofficial Royal visit after being invited by the country's government to take part in 'cultural activities'.
The Duke of Sussex, 39, will fly to the west African country to join Meghan just days after his return to Britain for the Invictus Games 10th anniversary in his first visit to the UK since Kate Middleton revealed her cancer diagnosis.
The couple have been invited to Nigeria by the country's chief of defence staff, who met Harry in Germany last September at the Invictus Games Dusseldorf.
They will meet service members and their families and participate in 'traditional cultural activities', according to Nigerian media.
The Sussexes quit the UK and moved to America when they stepped down as working royals in January 2020.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will tour Nigeria in an unofficial Royal visit after being invited by the government to take part in 'cultural activities'
They will meet service members and their families and participate in 'traditional cultural activities, according to Nigerian media
Harry and Meghan's acceptance of the invitation - their first visit to Nigeria as a couple - is said to have left the country's defence headquarters feeling 'honoured' and 'delighted' (Harry and Meghan pictured at the Invictus Games as they attend the Ukraine v Nigeria volleyball match)
Harry and Meghan's acceptance of the invitation - their first visit to Nigeria as a couple - is said to have left the country's defence headquarters feeling 'honoured' and 'delighted', according to local newspaper reports.
Meghan, 42, revealed in 2022 she found out she is 43 per cent Nigerian after doing a genealogy test 'a couple years ago'.
Speaking on her podcast Archetypes to Nigerian-American comedian Ziwe Fumudoh she said: 'I'm going to start to dig deeper into all this because anybody that I've told, especially Nigerian women, are like "What!"'
The visit will come days after Harry flies to Britain for the Invictus Games 10th anniversary.
An Invictus Games spokesperson confirmed the Duke of Sussex will attend the Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral on Wednesday May 8, but it is yet unclear whether his wife Meghan Markle will be joining him.
He is expected to provide a reading at the event, marking a decade since the games were founded as a sporting event for injured and sick military personnel and veterans.
Actor Damian Lewis is also expected to recite the Invictus poem at St Paul's for the anniversary of the games for injured servicemen and women.
It comes as the Duke is embroiled in a legal row about his taxpayer-funded personal security when he visits Britain.
The visit is the first time the Duke of Sussex has been in the UK since his last 26-hour trip in February, after his father King Charles announced his cancer diagnosis.
Royal experts say it is 'unlikely' that Harry will meet with the Princess of Wales, who disclosed her own battle with the disease in a video message to the nation last month.
Tom Bower told MailOnline: 'I'm sure he won't see Kate. But to reassert his royalty and his titles to enhance his brand, he will make a huge effort to be seen visiting his father, the King. I would be surprised if Meghan came.
Royal commentator, Richard Fitzwilliams added: 'Katherine is undergoing preventative chemotherapy treatment and given how deep the rift is, to me it seems unlikely.
'The only hope of reconciliation is that it would happen privately and we wouldn't know.'
However, Mr Fitzwilliams pointed out that a serious illness can sometimes be a 'gamechanger' in familial relationships.
The Sussexes will make their first visit as a couple to Nigeria after being invited by the country's chief of defence staff (Pictured: Harry and Meghan at day four of Invictus Games 2023 at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Düsseldorf, Germany)
Harry will tour Nigeria days after he visits Britain for the Invictus Games 10th anniversary - his first visit since Kate Middleton revealed her cancer diagnosis
A statement published on the Invictus Games' social media confirmed the prince is attending
The visit is the first time the Duke of Sussex has been in the UK since his last 26-hour trip in February, after his father King Charles (pictured) announced his cancer diagnosis
Royal Correspondent Michael Cole said: 'After so much bad blood, it is very difficult indeed to see any sort of reconciliation between the Sussexes and the Royal Family happening next week — or for the foreseeable future.'
A statement published on the Invictus Games' social media reads: 'The Invictus Games Foundation will celebrate 10 years of changing lives and saving lives with a 'Service of Thanksgiving' at St Paul's Cathedral on May 8th.
However, Meghan is not mentioned. As the event is just two days after their son Archie turns five, it is likely she will stay at home.
The pair live in Montecito, California with their two children, Archie, four, and Princess Lilibet, two.
In her statement, the Princess of Wales revealed she had been diagnosed with cancer after 'planned abdominal surgery' in January.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were understood to have made contact with the Prince and Princess of Wales 'privately' after Kate announced her cancer diagnosis.
They also released a statement to Harper's Bazaar magazine, saying: 'We wish health and healing for Kate and the family.'
Last month Harry was in Canada for the Vancouver Whistler 2025's One Year to Go celebrations, which aimed to raise awareness of the 2025 Invictus Games, which will take place between February 8 and February 16 next year.
Meghan told the
