During a visit to Nigeria, Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, shared a personal revelation. A genealogy test showed Nigerian ancestry, a discovery she described as "humbling." Meeting with women on the second day of her trip, the Duchess warmly acknowledged Nigeria as "my country." This visit marked her first to the West African nation, where she joined Prince Harry in promoting mental health initiatives for veterans and young girls, the Independent reported.
She added, "It's been eye-opening to be able to know more about my heritage." "Never in a million years would I understand it as much as I do now. And what has been echoed so much in the past day is, 'Oh, we are not so surprised when we found out you are Nigerian'," she said at the event on women in leadership co-hosted by Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a Nigerian economist and head of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
"It is a compliment to you because what they define as a Nigerian woman is brave, resilient, courageous, beautiful," Meghan told the audience. The duchess had announced on her podcast in October 2022 that she found out through the DNA-based test that she was "43% Nigerian".
In the Nigerian capital, Abuja, Meghan spoke about her initial reaction to learning about her Nigerian heritage through a DNA test. "The first thing I did was call my mom," she revealed at the event. "Being African American, part of it is really not knowing so much about your lineage and background ... and it was exciting for both of us," she said.
The conversation then took a heartwarming turn. Mo Abudu, the host, invited the audience to suggest a Nigerian name for Meghan. The crowd erupted with suggestions, including "Ifeoma" (meaning "a treasured thing" in Igbo) and "Omowale" (meaning "the child has come home" in Yoruba).
Following this exchange, Meghan joined a discussion with prominent Nigerian women leaders, including Ms Okonjo-Iweala. The focus of the discussion shifted to the importance of mentorship for young women and the challenges they face in pursuing leadership roles in a country where female representation in top positions remains uncommon.
When the anchor asked about how she felt about becoming the first woman and first African to lead the WTO, Ms Okonjo-Iweala said it was long overdue. "When I will feel right is when we stop saying, 'the first woman to do this ... to do that'," she said. "I have very mixed feelings about being the first woman because I think women should have been there already."
The Duchess also spoke about mentors who have helped her career, including as Nigeria's former finance minister. One way to mentor young girls is by "returning home" to be closer to them, Meghan said, citing the case of Ms Okonjo-Iweala as an example.
"You need to come back home, you need to, at least, be a familiar face for the next generation to say, 'Oh she looks like me and I can be that'," she added. Earlier in the day, Meghan watched as Harry and his Invictus Games team lost to the Nigerian military's team in a sitting volleyball game. It featured soldiers recovering from injuries sustained in the country's fight against Islamic extremists and other armed gangs in the country's conflict-battered north.
