Tabloid's Meghan Markle Africa Story Sparks Backlash

A British tabloid's website is seeing a backlash from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle fans after it headlined a story about the couple's recently announced visit to Nigeria as "Sussexes on Safari!"

On Sunday, royal biographer Omid Scobie was among the social media users taking aim at the MailOnline—which is owned by Associated Newspapers Limited, publisher of the Daily Mail—suggesting that linking safaris to Nigeria is an example of "ignorance."

In a Monday post to X (formerly Twitter), Scobie shared a screenshot of the MailOnline homepage, which featured the "Sussexes on Safari!" story as its lead item. In a caption, he wrote: "SAFARI? In Nigeria?! The ignorance jumped OUT."

The author's post has been viewed over 100,000 times, gaining 290 comments and more than 3,000 likes.

Newsweek emailed the MailOnline's press office and Scobie for comment.

The headline prompted a similar response from other X users, with some going further with accusations of "racism."

"The racism jumped out. Africa = safaris, obviously," one poster said.

Another wrote: "They think Africa is a country when it's a continent, and there are also 54 countries in Africa. There is also no safari in Nigeria. The racism and hate jumped out in this article."

The criticism that Nigeria is not an African country where safaris occur is not entirely true. Nigeria has a small number of game reserves where safaris are offered to tourists. But the country's main tourist draw is its areas of outstanding natural beauty.

Nigeria does not offer or promote safaris as a tourist attraction to the same extent that other African nations, such as Kenya or Botswana, do. In those countries, game reserves and habitats are more plentiful.

The criticism from social media users also points out that no plans for Harry and Meghan to take part in a safari during their Nigeria visit have been announced.

The MailOnline story says: "'Non-working Royals' Harry and Meghan will tour Commonwealth nation Nigeria after being invited by the government to take part in 'cultural activities'...days after Harry's UK Invictus event (so will Meghan join him in Britain first?)." But it never says that the couple will go on a safari.

On Sunday, a press release issued by Nigeria's director of defense information, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, said that the "defence headquarters (DHQ) has expressed its honour and delight for the acceptance of the Duke of Sussex, His Royal Highness Prince Harry and his wife, the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan to visit Nigeria in May, 2024."

The release added: "During their stay in the country, they will be meeting with Service members and will be hosted to arrays of cultural activities."

This suggests that the couple's activities will be closely linked to the Invictus Games, which Harry co-founded in 2014. Nigeria sent its first national team to the games in 2023.

The release also said Nigeria's minister of defense, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who attended the military veterans event in Germany last year, "has accepted to host the games when granted to Nigeria."

So far, no plans to host the games in Nigeria have been announced. The 2025 event will be held in Canada's Vancouver and Whistler and will include for the first time winter sports in competitions.

Britain is bidding to host the 2027 games in the city of Birmingham. The games' first events were held in London in 2014, and members of the royal family attended, including Prince William and Princess Kate.

Veterans' Affairs Minister Johnny Mercer told the Forces website that the "single biggest factor, driver of recovery and powerful factor in recovery for veterans has always been sport, and Invictus has been an icon in that space."

"That's why I want to bring it back to the U.K.," he said. "Bring those two things together—have a festival of recovery, if you like."

The locations for the games are chosen by the Invictus Games Foundation, for which Harry is patron.

James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.

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