The Duke and Duchess of Sussex recently concluded a three-day tour in Nigeria, where they received over 20 gifts, no longer restricted by royal protocol, reported GB News.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle embarked on their Nigerian tour last week, visiting the bustling cities of Abuja and Lagos from Friday to Sunday. During their engagements, the couple was gifted over 20 items—gifts they would not have been allowed to keep if they were still working members of the royal family.
Since stepping down from their roles as senior royals in 2020, Harry and Meghan are no longer bound by the stringent gift acceptance rules of the monarchy. Unlike official royal tours, their trip to Nigeria was a private visit, allowing them to accept and keep the gifts without adhering to the usual royal protocol.
The official royal policy on gift acceptance dictates that presents should be refused if there are concerns about the propriety or motives behind the gift or the donor. Additionally, during official overseas trips, the policy encourages discouraging extravagant gifts and promoting alternative gestures of goodwill during preliminary discussions.
In the UK, the policy generally advises declining gifts unless they are souvenirs of official visits, marking royal marriages, or other special personal occasions. Any accepted gifts require the royal recipient's consent, contingent on the donor agreeing not to exploit the gift for commercial purposes.
All gifts accepted by royal family members are meticulously logged and recorded to ensure transparency and propriety.
After completing their Nigerian tour, Harry and Meghan returned to the US on an 18-hour flight to Los Angeles earlier this week, bringing their numerous gifts with them.
