Meghan Markle Caught in Crossfire of Nigeria First Lady’s Comments About ‘Nakedness’ and Celebrity: Were Her Remarks Aimed at the Duchess?
Just weeks after visiting Nigeria with Prince Harry, Meghan Markle appears to be caught in the crossfire of comments made by Nigeria’s First Lady who spoke of “nakedness” and American celebrity culture. Were her remarks aimed at the Duchess of Sussex?
Was Meghan Markle at the center of remarks made by Nigeria’s First Lady about ‘nakedness’ and American celebrity culture?
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were invited to Nigeria by the country’s highest-ranking military officer in early May. The couple toured the West African country for three days.
The trip was successful. Meghan took center stage in various designer outfits, including dresses that showed off her back and shoulders. Typically, many Nigerian women dress modestly.
Subsequently, after Meghan and Harry’s visit, Nigerian Senator and First Lady Oluremi Tinubu spoke at an event for the We Are Equal initiative. She discussed the spread of celebrity culture in her country.
The first lady’s remarks addressed “nakedness” and Nigerian culture. Tinubu’s commentary does not appear to be directed at Meghan, even though she was mentioned in the speech.
Tinubu began, “They keep forgetting that Nigeria, we are beautiful. We are not having the Met Gala.”
“And everyone, the nakedness, is just everywhere, and the men are well-clothed. So we have to do something. Tell them we don’t accept nakedness in our culture. That is not beautiful. It’s not beautiful at all,” she continued.
The first lady concluded, “They do not want to mimic and try to emulate film stars from America. They don’t know where they come from.”
“Why did Meghan come here looking for Africa? That is something we have to take home with us. We know who we are. Don’t lose who you are.”’
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Nigeria trip appeared to be successful
The former senior royals kept a busy itinerary during their trip to Nigeria. While there, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle kicked off a mental health summit at the Lightway Academy.
The couple also unveiled a partnership between the Archewell Foundation and the GEANCO Foundation. CNN reports this union will help provide students with school supplies and menstrual products.
CBS News reported that Prince Harry also inspected a Nigerian military guard of honor. That appeared to be a very royal move even though Harry relinquished his official duties four years prior.
This trip was Harry and Meghan’s first journey to Africa since leaving behind their high-profile status in the royal family in March 2020. At that time, the couple retreated to California, setting up a home in Montecito.
Meghan Markle called Nigeria ‘my country’
During her visit, Meghan Markle co-hosted a Women in Leadership event with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the director general of the World Trade Organization. During the discussion, Meghan discussed her Nigerian heritage.
“I want to start by saying thank you very much for just how gracious you’ve all been in welcoming my husband and I to this country … my country,” Markle said, per The New York Post. “I am just flattered and honored and inspired.”
“Never in a million years would I understand it as much as I do now,” the duchess continued. “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.’ It is a compliment because what they define as a Nigerian woman is brave, resilient, courageous, beautiful.”
During an episode of her Spotify original podcast, Archetypes, broadcast in October 2022, Meghan revealed that she took a DNA test to determine her genealogy. The results came back that she was 43% Nigerian.
