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WHY BRITISH HIGH COMMISSION SHUNNED PRINCE HARRY, WIFE VISIT TO NIGERIA
The British High Commission in Nigeria has failed to acknowledge the presence of Prince Harry.
Harry and his wife, Meghan, arrived in the most populous black nation on earth, on Friday, and there have been different activities to welcome them.
The couple was received by military authorities on Friday afternoon in the nation’s seat of power.
He, alongside his wife, visited the Defence Headquarters in Abuja as part of their tour of Nigeria. They also proceeded to Kaduna State, where they met with Governor Uba Sani, who gifted the prince a traditional attire.
However, as against their tradition of welcoming top dignitaries from the United Kingdom, the social media handles of the commission has been silent on the activities of the Prince in Nigeria.
Checks by Daily Trust showed that the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, was silent on the visit on social media, while the UK in Nigeria X handle didn’t also acknowledge their presence.
In an interview with NAN, Montgomery said: “It’s great that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are visiting Nigeria, which I understand is at the invitation of Defence Headquarters.
“But they are visiting in a private capacity, not an official one. So, the British High Commission is not involved in arranging or facilitating their programme. They are not representing the work of His Majesty’s Government on this visit.”
While in Kaduna, Harry identified sports as a useful way for the rehabilitation of wounded soldiers in Nigeria.
The prince said the focus of his visit was to meet with the wounded and sick men and women who served in the Nigerian armed forces.
“The focus of this trip is the wounded and sick men and women who served in the Nigerian forces to keep the people safe, and having founded the Invictus game over 10 years ago, Nigeria was the first African nation to join in Germany with 10 fantastic human beings.”
“When you talk about lifting the spirits, that is what we are here to do, and we will build on that morale and ensure that anyone hooked on the line of fire, despite being injured, is not alone, and sport can be a useful way for rehabilitation,” he had said.
Harry and Meghan met in 2016 and married in 2018. They stepped down as senior royals in January 2020.
Angry about media intrusion, they were frustrated that Buckingham Palace stopped them developing their “SussexRoyal” brand.
The couple kept their Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles, but are no longer addressed as his or her royal highness (HRH). Harry also gave up his military titles.
When Harry’s father Charles became King, the couple’s two children became Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet of Sussex.
Prince Harry allegedly missed the flight that carried Prince William, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward up to Scotland where they raced in vain to see Queen Elizabeth II one last time before she passed away.
While nobody made it to her bedside in time, except for King Charles III and Princess Anne, William and his uncles were a lot closer to making it than Harry was.Harry was allegedly so persistent about bringing his wife, Meghan Markle, with him to Balmoral where the Queen was dying, that an argument ensued, causing him to miss the flight that carried his brother and uncles.
