Dressed like a Hollywood star at the Oscars, Meghan Markle’s permanent smile during her three-day ‘royal tour’ in Nigeria said it all: ‘I won.’
As you fly back to Los Angeles today, with a stopover at Heathrow, you can reflect on having established yourself as a popular British royal in Nigeria. I doubt she can believe it.
In a brilliantly choreographed succession of events, the Duchess of Sussex was able to enjoy the kind of attention that every Californian movie star craves.
Tirelessly, he smiled, chatted, clapped and posed for selfies with those who, thanks to genealogical proof, he believes are descended from his own ancestral roots.
It’s a welcome boost for both Brand Sussex and, in particular, Meghan, who, until she landed in Lagos, was struggling to shake off her image as a less-than-successful podcaster and budding jam creator.
Now, dressed in a variety of expensive and sometimes skin-baring dresses, she looked positively presidential, a thousand miles from the serious and reassuring royal visitor to London that Nigerians might once have expected.
Prince Harry and Meghan visit the State Governor’s House in Lagos on May 12
Tirelessly, Meghan smiled, chatted, clapped and posed for selfies.
Skeptics might wonder whether this latest stage of Brand Sussex’s hectic self-promotion campaign revolved not only around its own business interests, but also those of the British Royal Family.
The Duchess never let anyone forget why her visit to Nigeria was special.
His mother’s ancestor, he says, was a Nigerian brought as a slave to the United States, and a DNA test concluded that she was 43 percent Nigerian. This, she told her hosts, is “my country.”
Of course, she understands that it was marriage to Prince Harry that propelled a cable TV show actress, who was relatively unknown in the UK, to global fame. And rarely has a wife shown as much public adoration for a husband as Meghan has over the past three days.
Breathlessly, she expressed her love for him, for her children (Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, two), and her unconditional love for her audience.
But his was a leading role. In fact, the 42-year-old actress’s unwavering self-confidence came to the fore as she, with genuine aplomb, delivered her carefully crafted script.
Amid all that relentless promotion of the Sussex brand and the Invictus Games, there was barely any mention of Nigeria’s status as a major member of the Commonwealth, a 54-nation organization so dear to the late Queen Elizabeth.
Just six years ago, the Queen appointed Meghan as ambassador to the Commonwealth. Her Majesty later appointed her vice-president of the Commonwealth Trust.
At the time, few could have imagined that Meghan and Harry would soon denounce members of their own family as racists in a television interview with Oprah Winfrey.
I am not surprised that the Sussexes now appear to have retracted their scandalous suggestion, made to Oprah, that Buckingham Palace had decided – before their son Archie was even born – to deny him a title and security protection because he is of mixed race.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attend a polo fundraiser in Lagos on May 12
Meghan received a lot of praise from the crowd during her visit to Nigeria.
For all the adulation they have received from crowds in Nigeria, I find it difficult to shake a feeling of anger at their attacks on the Royal Family on television and in Spare, Harry’s best-selling memoir. The Sussexes seem oblivious to the enormous damage they have caused.
Meanwhile, King Charles is slowly emerging from his cancer treatment while the Princess of Wales continues to fight her own battle with the disease.
As the Sussexes enjoy VIP luxury in Heathrow’s aptly named Windsor Lounge awaiting their flight back to Los Angeles, no doubt flicking through the glowing reports of their trip, perhaps they could ask themselves this: was it really too much during their visit? to Nigeria? , to send public good wishes to their affected relatives?
I wonder if, privately, they could have the honesty to acknowledge that all of this fame and status has its roots in the very institution they have decided to attack.
I doubt it.
Stopping this graceless sabotage is the responsibility of King Charles.
Only by stripping the Sussexes of their titles (their most obvious connection to the real royals) can the charade end.
And for the sake of the Royal Family, Charles should end the charade of Harry using the Commonwealth as support for Brand Sussex.