The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan, yesterday arrived Nigeria’s defence headquarters in commencement of their three-day visit on the invitation of the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa.
The visit is in relation to the Invictus Games, the international adaptive sporting competition for wounded servicemen, women and veterans which Prince Harry founded in 2014.
The Duke and Duchess had on arrival in Abuja yesterday, visited the Light Academy in Wuse Abuja, a school supported by the Archewell Foundation.
The couple on arrival were received by wives of military officers led by the president, Defence and Police Officers Wives Association (DEPOWA), Mrs Oghogho Musa and top officers of the Nigerian military.
Prince Harry and his entourage had a closed door meeting with the defence chief after which he embarked on visit to Kaduna.
Other activities lined up for visit according to the director of sports, defence headquarters, AVM Abidemi Marquis, include a novelty volleyball match to be competed by the CDS’ Invictus team and the Duke’s team today.
According to the itinerary, the Duke is expected to hold strategic meetings as well a visit to Lagos on Sunday before departing the country.
The Duke and the CDS declined speaking with newsmen before leaving for Kaduna.
The Duke of Sussex told children at a mental health summit in Abuja “there’s no shame to acknowledge that today is a bad day, that you left school feeling stressed”, according to the BBC.
The visit comes after Harry concluded a brief visit to London, where he told the BBC it had been “great” to be back in the UK.
The couple landed in Abuja yesterday morning, and began their visit with a tour of Lightway Academy, a primary and secondary school in the capital city.
They were greeted by traditional dancers and met some of the primary schoolchildren.
One group of year five pupils told the BBC they were really excited about the visit, saying they hope it would raise their school’s profile.
During their tour the couple visited a kindergarten class where children aged up to five danced and sang – at one point, the visitors got to their feet and joined the class in singing Jump Up, Turn Around.
The couple mentioned their own family: Archie, who turned five earlier this month, and two-year-old Lilibet.
Meghan said that dancing was Lilibet’s favourite class, adding: “Maybe it’s all the jumping around.”