Royal | News - Prince Ricardo De La Cerda
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were not constrained by the rules of an official royal tour on their three-day visit to Nigeria and therefore had more “freedom”, claims a royal expert.
Two weeks ago, Harry and Meghan took centre stage as they visited Nigeria to promote Prince Harry’s work with the Invictus Games, an international sporting event for veterans and their families, founded by Harry when he was in the royal fold.
Former BBC royal correspondent, Jennie Bond, speaking to Times Radio, said: “On a royal tour, maybe there are five, six, seven, engagements in a day. You might even go to two or three countries in the same day. It’s a massive operation.”
She added: “I think it’s what Harry and Meghan are probably rejoicing in.”
Jennie explained how the Montecito-based couple can have “hand-picked” press, they can choose their own engagements, and they are not representing the Royal Family, or the UK.
Harry and Meghan attended several events around the country and while British Airways was their choice for international travel, the courtesy flights within Nigeria were provided by Air Peace. But according to the Mail, the founder of Air Peace is Dr Allen Onyema, who faces “multiple charges linked to millions of dollars’ worth of alleged fraud set down in a federal indictment filed in November 2019”.
A source close to the Sussex couple has since defended them and dismissed the allegations, saying their travel within the West African nation was organised by the Nigerian Chief of Defense Staff. However, there is no suggestion that Harry or Meghan were aware of the charges against the airline owner.
Overall, Harry and Meghan’s Nigeria was labelled a success by many royal watchers, while others dubbed it an “unofficial royal tour”.
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