“It’s okay to have bad days,” Prince Harry told Nigerian students as he and Duchess Meghan began a three-day visit to Nigeria.
The Duke of Sussex told children at a mental health summit in Abuja: “It’s been a bad day and there’s no shame in admitting you’ve left school because you’re stressed.”
The visit comes after Prince Harry completed a short visit to London, where he told the BBC it was “great” to be back in the UK.
Their visit is part of a series of events related to the Invictus Games, the sporting event for injured servicemen and women founded by Prince Harry, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.
- author, Simi Jolaoso
- role, bbc news
- Reporter Abuja
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The couple arrived in Abuja on Friday morning and began their visit with a tour of Rightway Academy, a primary and secondary school in the capital.
They were welcomed by traditional dancers and met some elementary school students.
One group of Year 5 pupils told the BBC they were very excited about the visit and hoped it would raise the profile of the school.
During the tour, the couple visited a kindergarten class where children up to the age of five were dancing and singing. At one point, the visitors stood up and joined the class in singing Jump Up, Turn Around.
The couple mentioned their family, Archie, who turned 5 earlier this month, and Lilibet, 2.
Meghan said Lilibet’s favorite lesson was dancing, adding: “Maybe just jumping up and down.”
During a visit to a STEM class where students showed off the robot cars they had built, the duchess said Archie also loved building.
“I’ll have to come back for the exhibition,” Meghan said when her classmates told her that they were planning to exhibit a robot car in class one day.
The couple then addressed the students to kick off the two-day mental health summit.
“I have to recognize those amazing dance moves,” Duchess Meghan told the audience, adding that Prince Harry almost jumped out of his seat with excitement.
Before speaking to children about the stigma surrounding mental health around the world, Prince Harry asked them to raise their hands if they were scared of the word “mental health” or knew what it meant.
The Duke had a message for children to remember that mental health affects everyone around the world.
“The more we talk about it, the longer we can kick it into the grass.”
He made children promise not to be afraid to talk about their mental health from Friday onwards, ending his speech with the words: “It’s okay, it’s not okay.”
He then handed the microphone to Meghan, who joked: “Do you know why I married him? He’s so smart.”
She also encouraged children to share their stories, saying Lilibet once told her, “Mommy, I see me in you.”
Although she meant it literally, Meghan stuck by her words and said she sees herself in all of the students there, not just her daughter.
“I believe in you,” she told them.
The couple were also joined on stage by Brian, one of three Wrightway Academy students who spoke on stage about mental health.
“Boys and girls have pent-up feelings and emotions that they can’t express well, which can lead to suicide,” he says.
He went on to add that he hopes the summit will educate him and teach him more about mental health.
Joyce Agbese, head of school at Rightway Academy, told the BBC that mental health is a topic that is not often talked about in Nigeria.
She praised Prince Harry’s message to students: “Don’t bottle things up and speak up.”
“He did well. That’s basically it. We want to encourage them to speak up, speak out and express their emotions in the right way,” Agbese said.
“When people who are this popular and famous talk about mental health, people realize that it’s normal, so they don’t have to be afraid to talk about it.”
One of the students who watched the lecture, Year 10 student Valeria Ofia, 14, brought along a copy of Prince Harry’s books to have it autographed.
“Continue to inspire others, continue to break down prejudice, and continue to make a difference,” the prince wrote.
She told the BBC: “I think this is very important because I have personally experienced some mental health issues. I have anxiety and sometimes struggle with depression. And , I’m really glad that people still don’t think it’s taboo.” Talk about these things, and for them to come here today and tell us that it’s okay to not be okay. I’m really happy. ”
After the summit launch, the prince will head to a military rehabilitation center in Kaduna.
Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan are expected to meet wounded military personnel at the invitation of Nigeria’s Chief of Defense Staff, General Christopher Musa.
The Duke and Duchess are also scheduled to visit Lagos.
The couple will also participate in a training session for the charity Nigeria: Unconquered, which works with the Invictus Games, as well as a cultural reception and a polo fundraiser for charity.
Meghan will also co-host a “Women’s Leadership” event with Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The couple’s visit comes after the duke celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games at St Paul’s Cathedral in London on Wednesday.
He smiled and waved to the crowds who had gathered to greet him in the sunshine outside St. Paul’s Cathedral.
Princess Diana’s brother and uncle, Earl Spencer, also attended the service.
Meanwhile, the king, who is undergoing treatment for cancer, met members of the public at a garden party at Buckingham Palace, about two miles away.
The two did not meet, but a spokesman for the duke said the king’s “perfect plans” prevented a meeting.
