Ahead of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s visit to the West African country, take a look back at Charles and Diana’s visit three decades ago.
Later this month, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will visit Nigeria on a trip connected to the Duke of Sussex’s Invictus Games.
They won’t be the first royals to travel to the West African country, but the Duchess of Sussex is the first with a personal connection to Nigeria. On her Archetypes podcast, she shared that a genealogy test revealed she had Nigerian heritage. At the Invictus Games last September, the first time Team Nigeria competed, Harry said, “I’m not saying we play favorites in my home, but since my wife discovered that she is of Nigerian descent it’s likely to get a little bit more competitive this year.”
More than three decades ago, Prince Harry’s parents, then-Prince Charles and Princess Diana, undertook a five-day royal visit to Nigeria. It was both Charles and Diana’s first time in the country; King Charles would return three more times (in 1999, 2006, and 2018). Ahead of Harry and Meghan’s visit, take a look back at the best photos of Charles and Diana’s trip.
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Diana, in a mint green Catherine Walker dress (and Philip Somerville hat), stands with Nigeria’s First Lady, Maryam Babangida as she arrives in Lagos.
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“The West African tour was officially meant to be for Prince Charles, as future head of the Commonwealth, to get to know the region; in reality it was very much more about getting the right kind of coverage in the British press,” reflected reporter Elizabeth Blunt.
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At Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, Charles and Diana were greeted by the people waving the flag of Nigeria and the Union Jack.
“Looking back, this was a low point in the royal couple’s popularity; the glamour and novelty of their marriage had worn off; the problems in their relationship had not yet become public; the palace press office was keen to revive flagging public interest in the future King and Queen,” Blunt said.
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Princess Diana’s fashion on the 1990 trip reflected the climate of the West African nation. Here, she wears a suit by Catherine Walker.
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The Princess of Wales, in an Alistair Blair dress, sits with First Lady Maryam Babangida at a fair in Lagos.
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The two women seemed to get along well.
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Prince Charles and Princess Diana arrive at Enugu airport in Nigeria.
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Charles and Diana didn’t carry out many joint engagements together. As Blunt reflected, “Princess Diana visited children’s hospitals, traditional hand loom weavers and women’s development projects. And wherever Diana went, the royal press pack followed. I had Prince Charles’s engagements virtually to myself; no-one else was in the slightest bit interested.”
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She met children at the Rural Women’s Fair in Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos.
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One of the couple’s few joint engagements was during a visit to Molai Centre, a leprosy hospital and rehabilitation village in Maiduguri, Nigeria.
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Another snap of the royal couple in the rehabilitation village in Maiduguri.
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The Princess of Wales was the focus of much attention on the trip.
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On another engagement, the Princess of Wales met with tribes from Lagos.
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She took the time to chat with various locals in attendance.
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For the day, the Princess wore a pale blue dress by Catherine Walker.
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At the cultural show in Enugu, Diana chatted with a woman whom the original photo caption identifies as Mrs. Ankanobi.
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Diana visited the Lagos University Teaching Hospital. In this picture, she signs the visitor’s book.
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She wore a bright blue Bellville Sassoon dress for the occasion.
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On another day, Diana spoke with women during a visit to the farming village of Umuagbai in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
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Diana wore a pink-and-white floral patterned Paul Costelloe dress, while Charles opted for an all-khaki outfit.
