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Visiting Nigeria marked a “bold” new chapter for the Sussexes. According to a commentator, Meghan Markle’s outfits perfectly reflected this. During her and Prince Harry’s three days in the West African country, the Duchess of Sussex, who is known for often sporting neutrals, traded them in for red, yellow, and blue. 

Harry and Meghan left behind a ‘dark era’ for a ‘bright’ one in Nigeria

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s—unofficial—tour of Nigeria from May 10-12, 2024, saw the couple receive positive press, which, royal commentator Jack Royston said on the Royal Report podcast, proved to be a major milestone (via Newsweek).

They turned the corner after four years of royal family criticisms seen on TV and in books made headlines, he said. Meghan’s sartorial choices, which included a necklace that once belonged to Princess Diana, were poised to include more color. She said so herself early on in the tour she “got the memo” to “fit in” with Nigeria fashion she’d have to embrace bold hues. 

Meghan did, which in turn reflected the “bright” and “happy” chapter she and Harry are starting. “I think it is actually perfect for the whole kind of feel and vibe of the of the tour,” Royston said. “Which is like bright, happy, positive.” 

Meghan did indeed trade in her signature neutrals, this time in the form of a Heidi Merrick maxi dress, for more colors of the rainbow. 

“This is all, I think, a kind of a peak in Harry and Meghan’s journey,” he continued. “Out of the kind of dark era in which they were doing a lot of criticizing the monarchy and into a kind of brave new bold, happy, positive era. And so the bright outfits go perfectly with that.” 

Visiting Nigeria marked a ‘positive start’ to Harry and Meghan’s ‘new era’

Royston went on to call Harry and Meghan’s trip to Nigeria a “big PR success” and a “really positive start to a new era.” 

“Because we think [the couple] have some new commercial projects coming down the line too,” the commentator said. “So, this is creating good foundations to those commercial projects which are incoming.” 

The couple has several projects currently in the works. Meghan has three of her own: a podcast with Lemonada Media, which has reportedly been postponed to 2025 because of her busy schedule, launching the American Riviera Orchard lifestyle brand, and a Netflix show about entertaining, which is reportedly in the early stages of production. 

Meanwhile, Harry has his own things going on. The 39-year-old has the 2025 Invictus Games on the horizon, which will take place in British Columbia, Canada. (Harry and Meghan promoted them three months before visiting Nigeria by traveling to the site of the games.) He also has a Netflix show of his own in the works about the world of polo

Together, Harry and Meghan are also producing a Netflix rom-com based on Carley Fortune’s 2023 novel, Meet Me at the Lake

What Meghan Markle wore in Nigeria

Now, for a look at Meghan’s Nigerian wardrobe. The 42-year-old slowly traded in neutrals for more colorful hues. She started with the aforementioned peach-toned maxi dress. Then came the white pantsuit, black and white palm tree-printed Joanna Ortiz dress, and white strapless St. Agni dress. 

By Meghan’s fifth look in Nigeria, she really embraced color. For a women in leadership panel discussion, she wore a bright red Orire dress. Later, she paired a blue-striped traditional Nigerian wrap skirt she’d been gifted a day earlier with a white button-down shirt. 

Perhaps her boldest look in Nigeria happened when Meghan wore a previously seen yellow Carolina Herrera gown. For their final day, she slowly returned to her signature neutrals. Meghan sported a printed tan and white Joanna Ortiz dress for a polo match closing out with white skinny jeans and a tan blazer.