Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, can keep all the goodies they collected on their recent jaunt to Nigeria, a trip that left the royal family fuming, according to a new report.
Because Harry and Meghan are no longer working royals, they do not have to abide by rules that would severely limit which, if any, gifts they would be able to accept, according to the New York Post.
High-priced gifts are not allowed, while items such as flowers, food and books can be brought back home if they are worth less than $200.
Still on Harry and Meghan in Nigeria.😁
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
They will never forget this trip.😁#HarryAndMeghanInNigeria😍#TheDukeAndDuchessOfSussex pic.twitter.com/xnWJB0FKyg
— HBones Media (@HbonesMedia) May 13, 2024
During their trip, they received multiple pieces of artwork and several pieces of ceremonial Nigerian clothing and jewelry.
During the trip, Meghan referred to Nigeria as her homeland, according to the New York Post.
“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 said.
During a Sunday event, she said, “Today is Mother’s Day [in America]. So it feels appropriate that although, of course, we are missing our children, I’m missing my babies, it feels very appropriate to be in the motherland and amongst family.”
Markle said in 2022 that she was 43 percent Nigerian based on an ancestry test.
Although the Nigerian trip was a triumphant swing for the couple, it grated on royal nerves, royal expert Tom Quinn said, according to the Mirror.
"[Prince] William is absolutely furious and determined to find a way to stop this happening in future. [King] Charles is said to be angrier than anyone has ever seen him,” Quinn said.
"What’s really upset the applecart is the fact that that the Nigerians treated Meghan and Harry as if they too thought this was an official tour -- all the signs were there as the couple were greeted with dances, receptions, visits to schools and charities,” he said.
Quinn said the trip was an affront to the royal family.
If there is one thing that Harry & wife excel at, it’s snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. They thought the much-hyped Nigeria trip had gone well. All seemed perfect. Then #Archewell was publicly castigated as delinquent, and the dream unraveled 😂 https://t.co/xcAa25onFJ
— Salty Duchess #WeLoveCatherine (@duchess_salty) May 14, 2024
"It’s as if Harry and Meghan have gone rogue -- their Nigeria trip is a bold statement that they refuse to accept they are no longer working royals,” he said.
"William and Charles are scratching their heads and thinking, 'How are we going to control this nightmare situation?'" he said, saying that the trip made it "easy to see why the senior royals are worried.”
"Everything you might expect from an official royal visit was there – the receptions, the visits to schools and charities, to wounded soldiers and the disabled. Meghan and Harry's speeches and their whole attitude has been designed to give the impression that they are still fully paid-up royals, and William and his father King Charles don’t like it one bit."
"For Charles and William, it’s as if Meghan and Harry are saying, 'We don’t need your permission to be working royals -- we will do it on our own terms whenever and wherever we like.'"
