Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex and wife of Prince Harry, revealed during her visit to Nigeria that she is 43% Nigerian.

During a visit to Nigeria, Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, shared a personal revelation. A genealogy test showed Nigerian ancestry, a discovery she described as “humbling.” Meeting with women on the second day of her trip, the Duchess warmly acknowledged Nigeria as “my country.” This visit marked her first to the West African nation, where she joined Prince Harry in promoting mental health initiatives for veterans and young girls, the Independent reported.

She added, “It’s been eye-opening to be able to know more about my heritage.” “Never in a million years would I understand it as much as I do now. And what has been echoed so much in the past day is, ‘Oh, we are not so surprised when we found out you are Nigerian’,” she said at the event on women in leadership co-hosted by Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a Nigerian economist and head of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

“It is a compliment to you because what they define as a Nigerian woman is brave, resilient, courageous, beautiful,” Meghan told the audience. The duchess had announced on her podcast in October 2022 that she found out through the DNA-based test that she was “43% Nigerian”.

In the Nigerian capital, Abuja, Meghan spoke about her initial reaction to learning about her Nigerian heritage through a DNA test. “The first thing I did was call my mom,” she revealed at the event. “Being African American, part of it is really not knowing so much about your lineage and background … and it was exciting for both of us,” she said.

The conversation then took a heartwarming turn. Mo Abudu, the host, invited the audience to suggest a Nigerian name for Meghan. The crowd erupted with suggestions, including “Ifeoma” (meaning “a treasured thing” in Igbo) and “Omowale” (meaning “the child has come home” in Yoruba).