Prince Harry & Meghan Begin Tour Of Nigeria As The Duke References Diana In His Speech

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle began their tour of Nigeria with an emotional speech to secondary school pupils, where they mentioned the "difficulties" of losing a "loved one".

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex began their 72 hour trip in Abuja, Nigeria this morning, where they went on to visit Wuse Lighway Academy, which is supported by the couple's Archewell Foundation, founded in 2020.

The couple had reunited at the VIP Windsor Suite in London Heathrow on the Thursday before the flight, with Meghan having arrived in London from LA, while Harry had already been in Nigeria, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games. 

At the school, Harry and Meghan were greeted by both officials and students, on a day which was focused on the topic of mental health, with Prince Harry delivering an emotional speech on the topic to the school.

Speaking about the process of dealing with grief, Prince Harry said: "when someone has lost a loved one in your family and you don't know who to turn to or who to speak to".

It is likely that Prince Harry was referring to his late mother, Princess Diana who passed away in 1997, when he was 12 years old.

The prince added, "In some cases around the world, in more than you would believe, there is a stigma when it comes to mental health". 

"Too many people don't want to talk about it, because it's invisible - something in your mind that you can't see. It's not like a broken leg, it's not like a broken wrist, it's something we are still relatively unsure of", he added. 

"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 yourselves to be able to look after other people". 

Elsewhere, Prince Harry also insisted that there is no shame in having a bad day, encouraging people not to be hard on themselves or others. 

"So if you take anything away from today, just know that mental health affects every single person", he stated. 

Speaking to many locals, the couple were also treated to a show of dancing and food.