ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Prince Harry and his wife Meghan will visit Nigeria in May for talks on the Invictus Games, which he founded to aid the rehabilitation of wounded and sick servicemembers and veterans, a Nigerian official said Sunday.
A statement from Nigerian defense spokesman Brig. Gen. Tukur Gusau did not say exactly when the Duke of Sussex will arrive in Africa, a place he has long said is close to his heart. Harry is expected to make the trip after a service at London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral to mark the 10th anniversary of the games.
Among the nations that participated in last year’s games was Nigeria, whose military has been fighting a deadly war against Islamic extremists in the country’s northeast since 2009.
Modeled after the Warrior Games in the United States, the Invictus Games were founded by Harry in 2014 to offer wounded veterans the challenge of competing in sports events similar to the Paralympics.
Harry served in Afghanistan as an Apache helicopter copilot gunner in 2012-2013 and has championed veterans in need of assistance.
His visit to Nigeria will include cultural activities and will “consolidate Nigeria’s stronghold at the games and the possibility of hosting the event in later years,” Gusau said.
In his recent Netflix series about the games, Harry said he didn’t have the support he needed when he returned home from combat in Afghanistan.
Speaking about post-traumatic stress disorder, he said his return from Afghanistan in 2012 triggered emotions that he suppressed after the death of his mother, Princess Diana, when he was just 12 years old.
The prince, whose troubles with the royal family have been widely chronicled, said the impact of Diana’s death was never discussed.
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Kirka reported from London.