ABUJA, Nigeria — ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Prince Harry and his wife Meghan will visit Nigeria in May to discuss the Invictus Games, which he founded to help rehabilitate wounded and sick military personnel and veterans, a Nigerian official said Sunday.
A statement from Nigeria’s defense spokesman, Brigadier General 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 participating in last year’s games was Nigeria, whose military has been waging 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 sporting events similar to the Paralympic Games.
Harry served in Afghanistan as an Apache helicopter co-pilot gunner in 2012-2013 and has advocated for veterans in need of help.
His visit to Nigeria will include cultural activities and will “consolidate Nigeria’s strength in the games and the possibility of hosting the event in subsequent 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 he repressed after the death of his mother, Princess Diana, when he was just 12 years old.
The prince, whose problems 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.