Prince Harry traveled alone when he visited a military hospital in Kaduna, a region called a no-go zone by the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office, MailOnline can reveal.
Harry, who questioned his own safety in the United Kingdom, flew to the hospital about 120 miles northwest of Abuja and apologized upon arrival for leaving Meghan in the West African country’s capital.
After being greeted by dancers on a red carpet, Harry told the audience: “I’m sorry I didn’t bring my wife.”
“The focus here in Kaduna is the wounded, injured and sick men and women who serve in the Nigerian forces and keep people safe.”
Sources told the Mail that Meghan had a private engagement and was due to meet Harry upon her return later on Friday.
Prince Harry traveled without Meghan to Kaduna state in Nigeria, an area marked as a no-go zone by the UK Foreign Office.
Harry dressed in a traditional vest and a ‘big dress’ that he needed help getting over his head.
He also received two paintings: one of him and his late mother, Princess Diana, and another of him and his wife Meghan.
Harry toured six wards full of wounded soldiers
The royal gave the thumbs up to one of the recovering young people in the room.
He shook hands with about 50 former military personnel and assured them: “They will get better, they will recover.”
The Duke of Sussex visited the 44 Nigerian Army Referral Hospital on Friday
Prince Harry gestures after visiting the Kaduna State Government House in Kaduna, Nigeria
Despite previously being concerned about his safety in the UK, the Duke of Sussex visited the high-risk area, known for kidnappings and rapes.
Harry with Kaduna Governor Uba Sani at the Kaduna State Government House
Harry getting into a car on his visit to Kaduna. The Sussex entourage consists of more than ten vehicles.
Kaduna is one of the most dangerous states in the country, with almost 2,000 kidnappings recorded in 2020, as well as reports of sexual violence, including rape.
The UK Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to the area, which is partly ruled by armed bandits.
Before leaving, Harry was given two paintings: one of him and his late mother, Princess Diana, and another of him and his wife Meghan.
She was then asked to put on another gift: an outfit consisting of a traditional vest and a ‘big dress’ that needed help getting over her head.
And, with a slightly bewildered look, he followed the suggestion of putting on a Hula cap as well.
Harry walked through six wards and saw row after row of young men recovering from their injuries. Many had been shot, ambushed by Boko Haram or lost limbs to explosions.
He shook the hands of about 50 former military personnel and told them: “You are going to get better, get back on your feet.”
Halfway there he was introduced to Second Lieutenant Princess Owowoh, 23, who had recently graduated from Sandhurst Military Academy, where Harry trained to be an army officer.
Harry wrote to her when he heard her story. “He wrote to me to congratulate me and tell me that they were coming to Nigeria and about the Invictus Games Foundation,” he said.
‘The Invictus Games give hope to soldiers. It encourages them to walk towards a goal, to achieve something new.’
Former royal protection officer Ken Wharfe, who accompanied the late Princess of Wales and the King to Nigeria in the early 1990s, told MailOnline the trip exposed Harry’s “hypocrisy”.
He said: “I went to Nigeria with Harry’s mother and father and it was quite illegal back then, so you have to wonder why he went there when he says the safety of his wife and children is the most important thing.”
Harry and Meghan on their tour of the Nigerian capital Abuja on Friday
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle arrive at the Wuse Lightway Academy in Abuja on Friday morning.
Members of his security staff seen by phone.
On Friday, the couple arrived at the Defense Headquarters in Abuja, where they visited the Chief of Defense Staff, General Christopher Musa.
“If the situation requires that level of protection then you have to ask why he is there and for him to say he feels unsafe in London when he has all that security in London leaves you wondering if there is any point in going.”
“He’s going to a high-risk country and I’m sure he’ll be looked after, but he’s a high-level target and would certainly be a match for anyone looking to make a dramatic impact on him.”
Harry and Meghan have a four-person security team for their 72-hour visit to Nigeria, which they paid for themselves, plus additional protection provided by the West African country.
His escort was made up of ten military vehicles, two ambulances and three Toyota trucks with mounted machine guns.
While in Abuja, the couple visited the Lightway Academy university, which is supported by its Archewell Foundation to educate and train girls affected by conflict in Nigeria.
Prince Harry speaks to those sitting with him at the Wuse Lightway Academy in Abuja on Friday.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, leaves the High Court in London on March 27, 2023.
Kicking off an inaugural mental health summit hosted by local nonprofit Geanco, which is a partner in their foundation, the couple was greeted by a dance troupe and a crowd of excited students and teachers.
They will also visit non-governmental organizations they support in Abuja and Lagos and attend basketball and volleyball matches.
Meghan will also co-host an event on women in leadership with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, director-general of the World Trade Organization, according to her spokesperson Charlie Gipson.
Prince Harry flies to a no-go zone in Nigeria, famous for armed bandits and kidnappers, but leaves Meghan 120 miles behind him after the couple enjoyed an action-packed rock star welcome to the country on their ‘almost tour’. real’.