Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Nigeria trip was a resounding success, despite a few wardrobe changes and late arrivals.
The couple were invited to the country to promote the Invictus Games and were treated to a series of cultural and philanthropic events while they were there. Just before heading to Nigeria, Harry made a fleeting visit to the UK to mark 10 years of the Invictus Games, culminating in a special service at St. Paul's Cathedral.
No royal family members attended the service, but the late Princess Diana's family showed up in full force to support the Duke.
The two recent overseas trips showed that despite stepping back as a working royal four years ago, Prince Harry is "very much sticking to a royal script" according to one royal expert.
Royal historian and author Tessa Dunlop explained: "While the Prince can no longer claim to be a working royal, he is very much sticking to a royal script. Fast on the heels of his service-themed London visit, came a quasi-royal three-day African tour," as per The Independent.
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"Invited to Nigeria (a Commonwealth country no less) 'as part of the Invictus Community', there Harry joined forces with Meghan, who claims 47 percent Nigerian heritage."
Despite the service-focussed trips the Sussexes have made recently, Dunlop noted that in her view "any hope that Harry and Meghan might be enticed back into an informal Commonwealth role, looks more unlikely than ever."
Before stepping back as working royals, Harry and Meghan were President and Vice-President of the Queen's Commonwealth Trust, roles that were removed in 2021, when it was decided they would not return to royal life.
Harry launched the Invictus Games - a sports competition for injured or wounded ex-servicepeople - back in 2014 before he met Meghan, and it has been hailed as life-changing by many participants. While his maternal family came to support the landmark anniversary of Invictus, none of the senior royals attended the service at St. Paul's Cathedral, and Harry didn't meet with his father King Charles privately either.
Harry's spokesperson said ahead of his visit that a meet-up would "not be possible due to His Majesty's full programme. The Duke of course is understanding of his father's diary of commitments and various other priorities and hopes to see him soon."
However, there have been disputed accounts in The Sunday Times from each side about why the father and son didn't meet, with friends of the Duke claiming Harry requested a meeting, but sources close to the Royal Family speaking to the newspaper disputed that Charles didn't make time for Harry, and claimed that the King also agreed that Harry could stay in a royal residence whilst he was in the UK, but the Duke of Sussex reportedly opted to stay in a hotel instead.
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