By Juliet Ebirim

The Duchess of Sussex and wife of Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, has written to the Paramount Ruler of Iwoland, Oba Abdulrosheed Adewale Akanbi, appreciating his hospitality and warm reception during their 3-day working visit to Nigeria last month.

The correspondence further acknowledged the Yoruba name “Adetokunbo” given to her by the Osun monarch during the visit.

Recall that the British royal couple, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, visited Nigeria last month to support wounded veterans and engage with key stakeholders in the country. The Oluwo of Iwo was the only Yoruba king invited to give the Duchess a royal reception at Delborough Hotel, Ikoyi, Lagos. Oba Akanbi bestowed her with a Yoruba name, alongside traditional gifts of Ofi and royal beads
The Duchess of Sussex’s personal correspondence sent to the traditional ruler reads ” Thank you for your warm welcome to Nigeria. I’m deeply humbled by your blessing of the traditional Yoruba name, Adetokunbo. I treasure the name and appreciate your trust in me to carry it with grace and dignity”.

“Our visit to Nigeria was important for many reasons, but not least because it gave us an opportunity to explore and understand my heritage, which extends to our children. We look forward to coming back home one day soon”