Ruler Harry knows the significance of unique interaction with regards to his and spouse Meghan Markle’s work.
Addressing Individuals on several’s three-roadtrip to Nigeria, the Duke of Sus𝓈ℯ𝓍 says, “we actually must meet straightforwardly with individuals, supporting our causes and tuning in, to achieve arrangements, backing and positive change.”
Planning ahead, Harry and Meghan are expecting more travel amazing chances to additional their drives.
“There’s only so much one can do from home and over Zoom, so we look forward to traveling more because the work matters. Whether it’s the Archewell Foundation, Invictus or any of our other causes, there will always be reasons to meet the people at the heart of our work,” the duke says.
Harry and Meghan traveled to Nigeria to champion their Archewell Foundation’s mental health initiatives for young people and to promote the Invictus Games, which Nigeria joined for the first time last year.
“I’m so happy with the growth of Invictus and to include Nigeria,” the Duke of Sus𝓈ℯ𝓍 says. “You know what Africa means to me over the years. It is a very, very special place, and to be able to include Nigeria now [in Invictus], I’m very happy.”
The Duke of Sus𝓈ℯ𝓍 also recalled his emotional visit to a military hospital in Kaduna, which PEOPLE joined, and the “very low morale” he felt among the approximately 50 men there.
Out of those 50, there were two guys who were smiley and happy. And they were the two who were in Germany [at the Düsseldorf Invictus Games] last year,” Harry says, emphasizing the “transformative power” of sport.
“That experience of knowing what life post-injury is like gives people so much hope. And hope, hope, hope is a huge part of this,” he says.
For Meghan, the trip also brought her closer to her roots. In 2022, the duchess discovered through a genealogy test that she is 43 percent Nigerian.
“It was incredibly memorable and special,” Meghan says of their time in Nigeria. “That alone is the best souvenir to take with us — all the memories we’ve made.”
Getting back to back to the enabling message she imparted to a gathering of youthful understudies on their most memorable day in Nigeria, Meghan says, “I saw myself in them. I see the expected in these little kids — and, coincidentally, in these young men too,” she adds,
The Duchess of Sus𝓈ℯ𝓍 then thought about her child Sovereign Archie, 5, and girl Princess Lilibet, who turns 3 in June.
“It’s what we see in our own children — to give them that promise and excitement for their futures,” Meghan tells PEOPLE.