Duke of Duchess Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle are to visit Nigeria in May as they prepare to meet with servicemen and women and partake in arrays of cultural activities, the Defence Headquarters has said.

The Acting Director, Defence Information, Brigadier-General Tukur Gusau, said the visit of Prince Harry and his wife are part of Nigeria’s preparations for the 2024 Invictus Games, an annual sports event for injured and sick military veterans.

Prince Harry, a former military helicopter pilot, invented the competition in 2014 for servicemen and women in the Commonwealth, and will travel to Britain for the 10th anniversary of the Games before joining his wife on the trip to Nigeria.

In 2022, the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan revealed in a Archetypes podcast session that a genealogy test she took showed that she’s 43 per cent Nigeria. She later donated an undisclosed amount to flood victims in Bayelsa, Anambra and others the following month.

Nigeria made their first-ever appearance in the Invictus Games at last year’s tournament in Germany with Prince Harry’s visit expected to prepare Nigerian military veterans ahead of a second outing in Germany again.

The statement indicated, “It also gives soldiers awareness and recognition in society to support their path in rehabilitation. The Invictus games had about 500 participants at the last outing and 21 nations in attendance, including Nigeria which made heads ways with gold and silver at its first outing last year. The visit is to consolidate Nigeria’s stronghold at the game and the possibility of hosting the event in later years.’’