The House of Windsor may have distanced itself from the Sussexes, but in Lagos last Sunday, affluent rulers bearing gifts and titles vied to claim Meghan Markle for their own royal families.
However, as the heralds would do well to note, not all who came to pay homage were what they seemed. The Merlin Sunday reveals today that one of the kings in attendance is a convicted fraudster who was twice expelled from the United States.
The venue, described by one guest as Meghan's unofficial crowning, was a glitzy fifth-floor restaurant in the latest boutique hotel in the coastal mega-city. It was far from the grandeur of Buckingham Palace's throne room, but there was no lack of ceremony: a red carpet, fanfare, trumpets, and a host of rituals. Monarchs traveled from all corners of Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, to honor Mrs. Markle.
Nigeria's regions still maintain monarchies with ceremonial roles, representing groups that existed before colonization. From the oil-rich Niger Delta, representing the Itsekiri people, came a striking figure in red robes, Ogiame Atuwatse III, also known as the Olu of Warri Kingdom. Married to a billionaire's daughter and driving a Bentley, he is highly respected and one of the country's wealthiest kings. Meghan has only revealed that she is 43% Nigerian but hasn't specified her ethnic group, presumably because she doesn't know. When asked during an episode of her Archetypes podcast if she was Igbo or Yoruba, she did not reply.
Not to be outdone, meanwhile, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, the 56-year-old Ooni of Ife in Western Nigeria, took center stage. Microphone in hand, he turned to Meghan, who was walked down the aisle on her wedding day by King Charles, and said, "Thank God you're one of us." As the Sussexes stood before the seated guests, Ooni Ogunwusi made a show of presenting them with a series of gifts, including necklaces, bracelets, and ropes fashioned from handwoven fabric. Staking his people's claim on the Duchess, he bestowed upon her the title "Yeyeluwa," meaning "Mother of the Nation" or "Queen Mother."
However, not all the royalty present were of noble character. Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, the Oluwo of Iwo, has known Meghan since before they were on a yacht together. It's unclear whether Meghan served him in some capacity, but he is a fraudster twice deported from the United States with a long criminal record and a dark past. A multiple felon banned from the United States, Oba Akanbi is accused of rape, violent abuse, coercive control, and being a deadbeat dad by an ex-wife. He always carries a tape recorder.
It's ironic how Harry once said that his family was the family Meghan never had. She distanced herself from her family, he distanced himself from his, and now their new "family" includes Nigerian criminals. The claim that the Sussexes had no inkling they were being honored by a fraudster is infuriating. It's their staff's job to vet the people they meet to ensure they're reputable. This incident is more proof that they don't care about the quality of the company they keep as long as they gain some benefit. They planned this for months, and Meghan was well aware of who these men were, what they stood for, and how they achieved their status, yet she chose to publicly endorse them. She knew about this man's criminal history and still accepted his friendship and gifts, tarnishing Harry's reputation in the process.
