Meghan Markle Calms Prince Harry Down and Helps Him with Anxiety at Public Engagements, Royal Commenter Says

The couple will celebrate their sixth wedding anniversary this weekend after a whirlwind three-day visit to Nigeria.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in Nigeria
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made a splash in their three-day visit to Nigeria last weekend, in what felt like the closest brush with a royal tour we’ve seen from the couple since they visited South Africa together back in 2019.

Royal commenter Kinsey Schofield told GB News (per OK) that the visit “was great PR for them, because if you just Google Meghan Markle today, 90 percent of the headlines are about how glamorous her wardrobe was, how beautiful she was,” Schofield said. “I lost count of how many times I saw the word ‘glam,’ and obviously they wanted positive press out of this, and they wanted people to start saying some nicer things about them.” 

Britain's Prince Harry (2ndR), Duke of Sussex, and Britain's Meghan (R), Duchess of Sussex, react as Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu (unseen), gives a speech at the State Governor House in Lagos

Schofield said that Meghan helps calm Harry's nerves while the two are at public engagements together, like here in Nigeria.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

As for their work in the country on behalf of Harry’s Invictus Games—which turn 10 years old this year—“I understand that their objective is to court Nigeria for a future Invictus Games,” Schofield said. “I think that they probably did a great job doing that.”

Schofield did notice, though, that while on engagements—of which there were many over the course of their three-day trip—“Harry has a bit of a problem hiding some of his anxiety sometimes,” Schofield said. “Meghan being by his side certainly calms him down and helps him out throughout that process.”

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in Nigeria

The visit, done on behalf of Harry's Invictus Games, seemed to be a resounding success.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

This weekend, Harry and Meghan—who returned home to the U.S. earlier this week—will mark six years of marriage on May 19 in a very romantic but low-key way, former royal butler Grant Harrold said, per The Mirror. Think roast chicken and reconciliation: “Celebrations will probably be behind closed doors, maybe a dinner party with some friends or maybe just the two of them,” he said. “Maybe they’ll recreate that roast chicken dinner they had on the night they got engaged at their cottage in Windsor.”

Harrold—who was in attendance at the royal wedding—said that Harry has “always worn his heart on his sleeve,” and added “Prince Harry was always very romantic. When he used to go on dates, he was very sweet and kind, a true gentleman. Harry is very traditional and very romantic at heart.”

Meghan Markle

Unbelievably, six years have passed since Harry and Meghan's royal wedding at St. George's Chapel at Windsor.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

This anniversary could also bring an opportunity for the royal family to heal some wounds from earlier this month, where Harry reportedly didn’t see any members of the family while he was in the U.K. celebrating a decade of the Invictus Games. “Typically, the royal family do acknowledge wedding anniversaries,” Harrold said. “We usually see social media posts, so it’ll be interesting to see if that happens this year. If they don’t, once again it goes to show the ongoing division. If it does happen, then I see that as an olive branch.”

royal wedding dresses - meghan markle

The couple headed off to their reception on their wedding day.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Still riding the wave of their successful visit, Harry told People “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 [as a part of the Invictus Games], I’m very happy.” (Nigeria, as well as Colombia and Israel, became the latest country to take part in the Games during its latest iteration in Dusseldorf, Germany last September.)

To that, Meghan added “We’re just doing great. And happy to be watching our family grow up and evolve,” referring to life at home in Montecito with Prince Archie, who turned five years old earlier this month, and Princess Lilibet, who will turn three next month. “Of course I’m happy,” she said. “We’re really happy.”

Rachel Burchfield
Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor

Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.