By Francesca Hangeior
The wife of Prince Harry, Meghan Markle has written to Oluwo of Iwo, Osun State, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi, appreciating his hospitality and warm reception during the couple’s three-day working visit to Nigeria in May.
This was contained in a press release by the monarch’s Press Secretary, Alli Ibrahim.
The Oluwo noted that the letter from Meghan Markle was an acknowledgement of the Yoruba name, Adetokunbo he gave to her during the visit.
The release recalled that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, visited Nigeria in May and “Oluwo was invited as the only Yoruba Oba to give her a royal reception at Delborough Hotel, Ikoyi, Lagos. Therein, Oba Akanbi bestowed on her a Yoruba name, presented gifts of Ofi and royal beads.”
The visit, however, attracted some negative publicity in the British press, with a prominent newspaper using harsh adjectives to describe Oluwo, whose picture with Harry was featured on the newspaper’s front page.
The letter to Oluwo, as quoted in the release, partly read, “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.”