Harry & Meghan Their Big Return, on Their Terms

FOUR YEARS AFTER STEPPING BACK FROM THEIR ROYAL ROLES, HARRY AND MEGHAN EMBARK ON A HIGH-PROFILE TOUR OF NIGERIA: 'WE'RE REALLY HAPPY' 

- SIMON PERRY

Amid a chorus of spirited cheers and applause, Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, arrived at Lightway Academy in Abuja, Nigeria, on May 10. Speaking to the assembled students, Harry, 39, emphasized the importance of acknowledging tough times, reassuring the kids that it’s “okay not to be okay.” Meghan, 42, recounted how the couple’s daughter Princess Lilibet, who turns 3 in June, recently remarked, “Mama, I see me in you.” Reflecting on those words, Meghan said, “Looking around this room, I see myself in all of you as well.”

The scene had all the makings of a royal tour— except this time the couple were visiting not as “working royals” but on their own terms. Still, the similarities to their 2019 African tour were hard to miss. Addressing a group of teens in South Africa in 2019, Meghan declared, “I am here . . . as your sister.” It’s the same sentiment she carried with her to Nigeria. Speaking with People on the current tour, Meghan says, “I always reflect back on myself as a young girl and the type of inspiration that I wanted to see in other women. I hope in some small way I can be a part of that for a lot of these young girls especially. I saw myself in them. I see the potential in all of these young girls—and, by the way, in these young boys as well.” Referring to Lilibet and son Prince Archie, 5 (who didn’t accompany their parents to Nigeria), she adds, “It’s what we see in our own children—to give them that promise and excitement for their futures.”