Meghan Markle and Prince Harry enjoyed an unofficial tour of Nigeria, but one royal expert thinks the Duchess of Sussex used the trip as a way to promote her brand and image.
"Of course, with Meghan’s well-publicized determination to be seen as a role model, a champion of the poor and marginalized and of women, a trip to Nigeria was a godsend," Tom Quinn told an outlet. "She was able to meet women’s leadership groups and to make speeches about how pleased she was to discover that she is 43 percent Nigerian."
"The problem as ever with Meghan is that the trip became less and less about Nigeria and its difficulties and more and more about Meghan," the commentator continued. "Much of what Meghan said about being herself 43 percent Nigerian and about how proud she was to be a role model, sounded like humble bragging."
In an episode of "Archetypes" the former actress revealed that she took a genealogy test to learn more about her heritage — something she mentioned throughout her time in the West African nation. Despite Meghan looking to empower women and children while in Nigeria, Quinn wondered if the duchess' public fallout with her father, Thomas Markle, would make her a positive example for people.
"It’s difficult to see what kind of role model she might be given that her own family is deeply dysfunctional – her relationship with her father and sister has completely broken down and she has no contact at all with her husband’s family," Quinn stated. "Does Meghan mean she wants to be a role model who shows people how to become rich and famous?"
Quinn then criticized the Suits star for "making herself the focus."
"She wants to be praised and admired for her work so the focus shifts from the good causes she espouses to her," he claimed.
Despite Quinn's perception of Meghan, the director-general of the World Trade Organization Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala praised the American royal's leadership skills. Okonjo-Iweala and Meghan participated in a women in leadership panel, as the Northwestern alum has been a vocal advocate for gender equality since her childhood.
“She’s a role model for young women. She’s a woman who is not in an easy position, and people are looking to see how is she managing and navigating this," Okonjo-Iweala told an outlet. "That’s one of the things she brings: inspiration. You can see in spite of that, she’s a cheerful, warm personality, and everybody in the room took to her."
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Aside from the controversy, Meghan and Harry celebrated their new life in the U.S. while visiting Nigeria. OK! previously reported the couple is excited about their new reality.
"We’re just doing great. And happy to be watching our family grow up and evolve. Of course, I'm happy. We're really happy," Meghan told an outlet.
"You know what Africa means to me over the years. It is a very, very special place, and to be able to include Nigeria now [in the Invictus Games], I’m very happy," Harry added. "That experience of knowing what life, post-injury, is like gives people so much hope. And hope, hope, hope is a huge part of this."
Quinn spoke to The Mirror.
Okonjo-Iweala spoke to People.