Meghan Markle's maxi dress in Nigeria included an unexpected nod to the Royal Family
Meghan Markle has included a nod to the Royal Family with her first fashion moment in Nigeria.
On Friday, May 10, the Duchess of Sussex stepped out in a stunning blush silk maxi dress with a high neck and cut-out back from Heidi Merrick, marking her second outfit from the California label in recent weeks. Interestingly, the ensemble is named the Windsor gown.
The House of Windsor is the modern name of the British Royal family, adopted in 1917 by King George V to replace the historic name of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha amid anti-German sentiments in the UK following World War I.
As explained on the royal.uk website, Windsor remains "the family name of the current Royal Family," although those close to the direct line of succession don't use it as their surname.
When Prince Harry and Meghan's children, Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, two, were born, their full names were announced as Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor and Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor. The name Mountbatten comes from Prince Philip's side of the family, and the hyphenated last name has been used for descendants of Queen Elizabeth since 1960.
In February 2024, it was revealed that Harry and Meghan had chosen to use their titles, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as the last name for their two children. Archie and Lili were given the titles of prince and princess when their grandfather, King Charles, ascended to the throne in September 2022.
The Duke and Duchess used their children's Royal titles for the first time in March 2023 when they announced Lili's christening. It's believed that Sussex is their family surname. The practice of using their titles as their children's last names is in line with the tradition followed by members of the Royal family.
Harry and Meghan arrived in the west African country on Friday 10 May, on the invitation of the chief of defence staff.
The couple have been pictured during a visit to meet students at the Lights Academy in Abuja, with the pair seen beaming and smiling.
The couple also spoke about mental health while at the school as Harry, 39, said: "In some places around the world, more than you would believe, there is a stigma against mental health. Too many people don't want to talk about it because it's invisible, it's in your mind and we can't see it.
"But guess what, every single person in this room, the youngest, the oldest, every single person has mental health. So therefore, you have to look after yourself in order to be able to help other people, other people have to look after themselves in order to be able to look after you. That's the way it works."
