Meghan Markle received a blunt seven-word rebuke from Nigeria's First Lady during her three-day visit to the country with Prince Harry. Nigeria's First Lady, Senator Aisha Buhari, targeted Meghan Markle's dressing style in a speech following her visit to the West African country. In a sharp seven-word criticism, the First Lady stated, "We do not accept nudity in our culture."
The First Lady's comments were made during an event titled "Celebrating Women," which marked the one-year anniversary of President Bola Tinubu's office. The event aimed to recognize the significant contributions women have made in all spheres of life. She emphasized that Nigerian women risk losing their identity if necessary steps are not taken.
As reported by Newsweek, she added, "They are all beautiful girls, but they have to be confident in who they are. They don't want to be like them. They even imitate and try to imitate movie stars from America." She further questioned, "Why did Meghan come here looking for Africa? This is something we should take back home. We know who we are and shouldn't lose our identity."
The video of her speech, circulated on the social media platform X, received more than 960,000 views and over 420,000 likes. The video's title was "When the First Lady of Nigeria puts your name, your nudity, and your ignorance in the same sentence." However, Meghan Markle's supporters were quick to defend the Duchess. One supporter wrote, "The First Lady of Nigeria tells Nigerian women not to lose sight of their culture, which is why Duchess Meghan is visiting Nigeria."
In contrast, one critic wrote, "All I've heard is that Nigeria is a respectable, educated nation, and its daughters need better role models who don't come in scantily clad like Meghan." Another comment stated, "Meghan Markle managed to create an international incident. We warned her about clothes."
Ultimately, the Nigerian First Lady did not directly comment on Meghan's outfits during the tour, though she did criticize the Met Gala, which often features celebrities in revealing attire.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited Nigeria earlier this month to support soldiers' mental health and youth empowerment initiatives, as they celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games. After meeting with the official Christopher Musa at the Nigerian Defense Headquarters, Meghan signed the guest book, thanking officials for "welcoming me home."
Meghan's wardrobe for the visit is estimated to have cost around £120,000, including a backless peach dress by Heidi Merrick and a lace-up print dress by Johanna Ortiz. While their trip was generally received positively by critics, with many royal watchers calling it a success, some viewed it as an unofficial royal tour.
