The Duchess of Sussex’s wardrobe for her Nigerian tour has seemingly been filled with sentimental throwback garments and special tributes – and the mother-of-two didn’t disappoint with her latest ensemble.
To mark Mother’s Day in America, Meghan, 42, opted for her Carolina Herrera ‘Yellow Silk Overlay Column Gown’ as she arrived at the State Governor House in Lagos, which she wore in 2021 when she announce her pregnancy with Princess Lilibet.
The Duchess looked as elegant as ever in the £3,198 ($3,990) silk dress, which she matched with a classic pair of brown leather sandals.
The mother-of-two added a silver snake chain necklace and a pair of circular earrings to accompany the outfit.
Meghan last wore the ethereal dress when she announced her pregnancy with Princess Lilibet in 2001.
The Duchess of Sussex has arrived at the State Governor House in Lagos donning an rewearing the ‘Yellow Silk Overlay Column Gown’ from Carolina Herrera
On Valentine’s Day that year, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex revealed they were expecting their second child with a monochrome snap.
Taken remotely by long-time friend and photographer Misan Harriman, the loved-up couple posed in nature while Harry cradled Meghan’s bump.
Meghan Markle’s wardrobe for her three-day visit to Nigeria has appeared to be filled with sentimental choices – and she continued that theme with today’s outfit.
The Duchess of Sussex, 42, seemed to sport a traditional Nigerian skirt gifted to her during a reception in Abuja on Saturday as she landed in Lagos with Prince Harry this morning.
Featuring white and blue stripes, the statement maxi garment was made of aso oke, a hand-woven material from south-west Nigeria, according to the BBC.
The skirt was a gift from Abike Dabiri Erewa, chairman of the Nigerian Diaspora Commission, who presented the Duke and Duchess with his and hers traditional aso oke outfits at a reception at the Nigerian Defence Headquarters.
Meghan’s outfit choice comes after the mother-of-two – who recently discovered she is ’43 per cent Nigerian’ – thanked an audience in Abuja on Saturday for welcoming her and her husband to ‘my country’.
Meghan last donned the dress in 2021 when she and Prince Harry revealed they were expecting their second child (pictured)
The Duchess added an elegant silver snake chain necklace and a pair of circular earrings to complete the outfit
Meghan greeted Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu (left) as she arrived at the State Governor House
The Sussexes touched down in the Lagos this morning as part of their ‘quasi-royal’ tour after spending two days in Abuja where the couple were mobbed at a sitting volleyball match.
Meghan teamed her traditional maxi skirt with a white Carolina Herrera shirt and stylish sunglasses.
Adding a touch of glitz to her ensemble, she opted for chunky gold earrings and dazzling sandals.
Her makeup was perfectly glamorous, while her hair was styled in a fashionable half-up half-down hairdo.
Harry, meanwhile, sported sunglasses, a beige jacket, and a white shirt, as they shook the hands of military dignitaries who stood along the runway.
The couple, visiting Nigeria together for the first time, applauded and gasped as they were greeted with a dance performance. They will today reportedly visit a school which is being supported by their Archewell Foundation.
They will then attend a cultural reception and later a polo fundraiser in aid of Nigeria Unconquered.
The visit is 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.
Meghan appeared to be wearing an outfit made of aso oke – a hand-woven cloth from south-west Nigeria – which she had been gifted at a lavish lunch yesterday. Harry sported sunglasses, a beige jacket, and white shirt
The skirt was a gift from Abike Dabiri Erewa, chairman of the Nigerian Diaspora Commission, who presented the Duke and Duchess with his and hers traditional aso oke outfits at a reception at the Nigerian Defence Headquarters
They arrived in Abuja on Friday for the 72-hour whistlestop tour of the country after flying in together following a secret reunion in London.
During their two-day stay in the capital city, Meghan thanked Nigerians for welcoming her to ‘my country’ as she hopes she can ‘do justice’ to being a ‘role model’.
The Duchess of Sussex arrived almost an hour late to the women in leadership summit in a spaghetti strapped red dress without her husband Prince Harry.
She told the audience: ‘I want to start by saying thank you very much for just how gracious you’ve all been in welcoming my husband and I to this country… my country.’
She also added: ‘I am just flattered and honored and inspired. It has been a whirlwind 24 hours since we arrived, and I very quickly got the memo that I need to wear more colour, so I can fit in with all of you and your incredible fashion.’
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 mum, because I wanted to know if she had any awareness of it.’
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.
The Duchess of Sussex pictured as she co-hosts an event of Women in Leadership
The Duchess of Sussex walks alongside Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, right, Director-General of the World Trade Organization
Meghan speaks during an event in Abuja, Nigeria, on Saturday
‘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.’
She also added: ‘I often find that whatever travels I’ve done, regardless if it’s Nigeria or another country around the world, oftentimes when women reach the peak of success, they leave.
‘But you need to come back home. You need to at least be a familiar face for the next generation to say: “Oh, she looks like me – and I can be that.”
‘And I think that is a really key piece in all of it… It’s defined by, and you still always want to come back home, because that’s how you’re going to help shift any sort of generational pattern that might be stifling, especially for young girls who need to see someone who looks like them in that same position.’
After being told by a moderator that she had ‘come home’, Meghan replied: ‘I hope that I could do justice to the role model that I think so many young women deserve to have.
‘Obviously in the face of all of you here, I know that they, they see that. But being able to be a small part of that means a lot.’
