Prince Harry Slammed For Calling Nigerians His 'In-Laws' Without Seeing Meghan Markle's Dad: 'Desperate To Find A Family'
Prince Harry dubbed Nigerians his family, but not everyone was pleased with his gesture.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex flew to Nigeria for a three-day trip last week after they got an invite from the Chief of Defense Staff to visit the African country. A clip of Prince Harry addressing the locals made the rounds on social media, and it raised eyebrows because he referred to them as his "in-laws."
"In-laws, skip the protocol because, at this point, we are all family," Prince Harry said in footage captured during his speech at the Lagos State Government House on Sunday, per Page Six.
Did he really just refer to this random group of Nigerians as his in-laws? Harry, traitor to his own family, hasn't even met his actual father-in-law, who has begged to see him, Meghan, and his grandchildren. This is truly appalling.#FOHarryandMeghan pic.twitter.com/vpxoRZnRVO
— Royal Gossip 🇬🇧 (@UKRoyalGossip) May 13, 2024
Prince Harry's "in-laws" remark sparked a backlash from his critics, who questioned why he hasn't met Markle's father, Thomas Markle Sr., despite being married for six years already. He also hasn't seen her sister Samantha and big brother Thomas Jr.
"He is so desperate to find a family that he's willing to go above and beyond, journey people his in-laws he has in-laws. He has a father-in-law, [has] a mother-in-law, and he has a stepsister and step brother-in-law. Oh yeah, he disowned everybody," one commented, referring to Marke's family members.
Another added, "He makes me puke!!!!" with multiple nauseated face emojis.
"This is not funny and totally ridiculous. Can you imagine how Meghan's actual family feels about this statement? She has no bloody Nigerian in her, for god's sake. They actually believe their own lies," another commenter remarked.
"Cue for [snubbing] Samantha, Thomas, and Tom Jr to set the record straight by not holding back & telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth starting with Joe G, Northwestern Uni glue incident, etc," a different user commented.
"He can't even see his real in-laws because his wife closed that door, but to pretend these are all his in-laws ... how utterly disgusting," a different user opined.
Some netizens joked about Prince Harry's statement. One wrote that he hoped he would not treat his new in-laws like how he treated the old ones. Another joked that Prince Harry would forget his new in-laws once he rides the jet back to California.
Despite the backlash, Prince Harry and Markle received an outpouring of love and support from their fans.
"Haters hating," one Sussex supporter commented while sharing a clip of Prince Harry and Markle from their trip.
"The visit of Prince Harry and Princess Meghan to Nigeria will last longer in their memory forever. They are being showered with love and support," another wrote.
"At the end of the day, it's called respect. The people of Nigeria RESPECT Harry & Meghan ... they don't need a crown for their type of star power," a third supporter added.
"This was a very successful tour for #PrinceHarry as a representative/founder of the #InvictusGames. He was invited by the Nigerian Defence. The Prince spent a lot of time with the military, veterans, widows and wounded warriors. Even had time to play seated volleyball!" a different user shared.
Prince Harry and Markle wrapped up their three-day Nigeria trip on Sunday. Markle co-hosted a women's leadership event where she spoke about her Nigerian ancestry and called the African nation "my country."
"Thank you very much for how graciously you've all been welcoming my husband and I to this country," Markle said, per CBS News.
In Prince Harry and Markle's first on-camera interview, she revealed that her husband-to-be at the time hadn't met her father. However, Prince Harry reportedly talked to her dad, a TV lighting director, "a few times."
"He hasn't been able to meet him just yet, but it's all been worth every effort," Markle said.
Clarence House seemingly confirmed that Prince Harry had not met his father-in-law, but he "sought and received the blessing of Ms. Markle's parents before he proposed."
Unfortunately, Markle and her father had a falling out after he canceled his attendance at their royal wedding in 2018. The father and daughter have been estranged since.
