Meghan Markle says she is 'deeply humbled' by her new Nigerian name and thanks Yoruba King for welcoming her and Prince Harry 'home' in personal letter
- The Duke and Duchess of Sussex embarked on a 3-day quasi-royal tour in May
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Meghan Markle has said she is 'deeply humbled' by her new Nigerian name as she thanked a Yoruba King for welcoming her and Prince Harry 'home' in a personal letter.
The Duke, 39, and Duchess of Sussex, 42, embarked on a three-day quasi-royal tour of the country last month following an invitation from the Nigerian military.
During the trip, the couple - who were learning more about the Duchess' Nigerian heritage - met the Yoruba King, Oluwo of Iwo.
The ruler on bestowed the Duchess - who recently discovered she was 43% Nigerian through a genealogy test - the Yoruba name Adetokunbo, which translates as 'the crown or royalty from a foreign land'.
At the end of May, Meghan wrote to the leader to thank him for his hospitality and for honouring her with a Nigerian name.
Pictured: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrive at the State Governor House in Lagos during their three-day visit to Nigeria
The Yoruba King - who was the only Yoruba monarch to be invited to a reception with the Duke and Duchess - has now shared Meghan's letter with his 174,000 Instagram followers.
The letter reads: 'Thank you for your warm welcome to Nigeria.
'I am deeply humbled by your blessing of the traditional Yoruba name, Adetokunbo.
'I treasure the name and appreciate your trust in me to carry it with grace and dignity.
'Our visit to Nigeria was important to many reasons, not least because it gave us an opportunity to explore and understand my heritage, which extends to our children.
'We look forward to coming back home one day soon.'
During the visit, Meghan thanked Nigerians for welcoming her to 'my country' and told a women in leadership summit that she hopes she can 'do justice' to being a 'role model'.
When asked how she felt after discovering she was 43% Nigerian through a genealogy test, Meghan said the first thing she did was 'call my mom, because I wanted to know if she had any awareness of it.'
Pictured: Meghan Markle seen meeting Yoruba King, Oluwo of Iwo (right), during her quasi-royal tour of Nigeria
Meghan Markle wrote this letter to the Yoruba King who honoured her with a traditional Nigerian name during her trip
Meghan went on: 'Being African-American, part of it is really not knowing so much about your lineage or background, where you come from specifically.
'And it was exciting for both of us to discover more and understand what that really means. Never in a million years would I have understood it as much as I do now.
'It's been really eye-opening and humbling to be able to know more about my heritage and to be able to know this is just the beginning of that discovery.'
Defining Nigerian women as 'brave, resilient, courageous, powerful, beautiful', Meghan said: 'It is the most flattering thing to be in that company, to be in your company.'
The visit was primarily to promote the Invictus Games and comes after Harry met the Nigerian team and General Musa at last year's competition in Dusseldorf, Germany.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stand for God Save The King in Abuja, Nigeria during an event with Nigeria Unconquered
Prince Harry presents a medal after a charity polo game at the Ikoyi Polo Club in Lagos during the trip
The Nigerian military has touted the Invictus Games as one which could help the recovery of thousands of its personnel who have been fighting the homegrown Boko Haram Islamic extremists and their factions since 2009 when they launched an insurgency.
During the trip the Sussexes announced a partnership between the Archewell Foundation and the Geanco Foundation, a charity in Nigeria which leads surgical missions, promotes maternal health and provides scholarships to young female victims of terrorism.
Royal expert Michael Cole told MailOnline last month that although the couple were on 'a private visit by two royal personages', they 'exploited their royal status to the very limit and in every way, trying to give the impression that it was the real thing'.
He said that although the Sussexes' trip 'wasn't a state visit, an official visit or a royal tour', it seemed like a 'tour proposed by Buckingham Palace and sanctioned by the British government'.
He added that the couple 'succeeded to such an extent that they will return to California well satisfied with their three days in Nigeria'.
Mr Cole continued: 'That is the magic of monarchy. Nigeria gained independence from Britain in 1960 and became a republic three years later.
'But such is historical connection with the Crown, and affection for the Royal Family, that Africa's most populous country opened its ample arms to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, some people even addressing Meghan as 'Princess' - which clearly pleased her.'
