Meghan Markle Paid Tribute To Princess Diana Throughout Her Trip To Nigeria
Whether you love, loathe or remain entirely indifferent to her, wherever Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, goes, conversation is sure to follow. And it seems that it was precisely with the knowledge — that the eyes of the world were following her on a recent three-day tour to Nigeria — that she proceeded with planning the intricacies of her trip.
From the philanthropic efforts her and Prince Harry endorsed to the speeches that Markle herself gave (and the clothes she wore for the occasion), the message was clear that this is a couple that knows all too well their every move telegraphs meaning.
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Throughout the tour, which aimed to publicise Nigeria last year becoming the first African country to take part in the Invictus Games (the sporting competition for wounded military personnel and veterans that Prince Harry co-founded in 2014), the couple allowed their actions to speak louder than their words.
On Saturday, after attending a reception in Abuja, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were presented with an outfit made of aso oke, a hand-woven cloth from South West Nigeria. Less than a day later, the Duchess fashioned the cloth into a skirt, which she wore with a white Carolina Herrera shirt and metallic snakeskin heels by Burberry Prorsum for one of the couple’s final engagements.
'Princess Meghan is a Nigerian!' Abike Dabiri Erewa, chairman of the Nigerian Diaspora, said at the event, inviting a round of applause from the crowd and a smile from Markle, who previously shared on her podcast Archetypes that she discovered she is 43% Nigerian through a genealogy test. Throughout the trip, she spoke of the connection she feels to the country.
The Sussex’s trip to Nigeria, which marked their first to the country, drew similarities to King Charles and Princess Diana’s trip there in March 1990, during which the former couple aimed to raise awareness of mental health. For a reception hosted to honour military families on May 10, Markle paid tribute to her mother-in-law by wearing Princess Diana's gold Cartier Tank Française watch and a previously never-before-seen necklace that belonged to the former Princess of Wales. The subtle nods were interpreted by royal fans as a way for Markle to show her allegiance to Diana's legacy of philanthropy.
Markle also not only re-wore the daffodil yellow Carolina Herrera gown she debuted on her son Archie's first birthday, but also brought her friend and photographer Misan Harriman along for the tour to photograph the royal couple. Harriman was responsible for the portrait the couple released to announce their pregnancy.
That's not to say that there weren't oversights from either Markle herself or members of their team. For one of her first engagements in Nigeria, Markle wore the peach-toned 'Windsor' dress by Californian lifestyle label Heidi Merrick. Eagled-eyed royal fans were quick to speculate on X that the choice of the 'Windsor' dress seemed like a specific nod to the royal family, whose surname is Windsor. 'I’m convinced she is doing this on purpose at this point. Infamy is her goal – not approval. She is taking a page out of Wallis’ handbook,' one user wrote, referencing the American socialite Wallis Simpson, whose husband, King Edward VIII, abdicated the throne to marry her in 1936.
The politely toned tour comes at a pivotal time for the couple as they look to cement their newfound Hollywood status. After taking somewhat of a hiatus since being dropped from their Spotify deal, Markle soft-launched her lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, earlier this year, and is believed to be working on a new podcast series with female-founded media company, Lemonada Media. Perhaps in gently communicating that she cares through how she presents herself to the world, Markle is preparing to hard-launch herself once again.
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