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In January 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markel stunned the world with the unexpected announcement  of their decision to “step back” as senior members of the royal family, and divide their time between the United Kingdom and North America, to enable them to be financially independent.

The announcement prompted Buckingham Palace to release a statement on their official website, saying discussions about the couple’s future are “at an early stage” and “complicated.”

Another statement which indicated that Prince Harry and Meghan will no longer use their royal titles, will forgo public funds and repay sovereign grant expenditure used to refurbish their official residence in Windsor was later released by Buckingham Palace in the same month.

After the 12-month review which they agreed to, Buckingham Palace, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, on Friday, released statements confirming that Harry and Meghan will not be taking back their roles as working royals. Although the Palace is “saddened by their decision, The Duke and Duchess remain much-loved members of the family”.

As a result of this, all of Harry’s honorary appointments with RAF Honington, Royal Navy Small Ships and Diving, Royal Marines, his formal association with The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust, The Rugby Football League, The Rugby Football Union, and Meghan’s patronage of The Royal National Theatre and The Association of Commonwealth Universities will therefore be returned to Her Majesty to be handed over to other working members of the Royal Family.

However, Prince Harry will remain a patron of the Invictus Games and WellChild charity while Meghan will still be a patron of  The Mayhew and Smart Works as these organizations were accepted in a more personal inclination. The couple stated that they will “remain committed to their duty and service” and in conclusion, “We can all live a life of service. Service is universal.”

Read the statement from Buckingham Palace:

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have confirmed to Her Majesty The Queen that they will not be returning as working members of The Royal Family.

Following conversations with The Duke, The Queen has written confirming that in stepping away from the work of The Royal Family it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service. The honorary military appointments and Royal patronages held by The Duke and Duchess will therefore be returned to Her Majesty, before being redistributed among working members of The Royal Family.

While all are saddened by their decision, The Duke and Duchess remain much loved members of the family.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have reportedly quit all social media permanently due to the “hate” they have encountered on the platforms.

A source close to the couple told The Times of London that they have “no plans” to use social media for their new company Archewell and are “very unlikely” to resume use of their personal accounts.

The couple are understood to have become disillusioned by the “hate” they encountered on social media.

The pair use their Instagram account, @sussexroyal, which has over 10.4 million followers to share public health advice on the coronavirus as well as updates on their charity work, but they have not posted since March 2020.

It comes after Meghan spoke of the “almost unsurvivable” pain she suffered at the hands of online trolls last year.

In an interview with Californian high school students for Mental Health Day last October, the Duchess said she was “the most trolled person in the world” in 2020 – and urged anyone suffering to speak out.

“I’m told that in 2019 I was the most trolled person in the entire world, male or female.

“I don’t care if you’re 15 or you’re 25 – if people are saying things about you that aren’t true, what that does to your mental and emotional health is so damaging.”

The Duchess also spoke of the dangers of social media for teen mental health, adding: “Yes it’s a great place to connect but it’s also a place where there is a lot of disconnection.”

The news marks another departure from royal life for the couple, as other members of the Royal Family regularly use Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to promote their official and charity work.

In March 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made headlines when stepped down as senior royals.

Tessy Ojo is  a multi-award-winning social change advocate, philanthropist, civil society leader, brand ambassador, wife, mother and Chief Executive Officer of The Diana Award, a charity foundation instituted in honour of the Late Lady Diana, the Princess of Wales. At the heart of her work is the belief that, with the right support and investment, young people are the best instigators for achieving real, sustainable change in their lives and communities.

Tessy was recently awarded the Commander of the British Empire (CBE), the biggest national honour in the United Kingdom in recognition of her immense contributions towards empowering and supporting children and young people in the UK.

The  British-Nigerian national who is an inspirational speaker and regular consultant and
commentator on issues around youth participation, charity growth, diversity, women in
leadership and other social issues affecting young people, grows her kitty that already has
other eminent awards including The Precious Award, Inspiring Leader 2015, Women in Business Rising Star 2015 (London Region), Excellence Award from Eva Longoria’s Global Gift

Tessy share her inspiring journey with Esther  Ijewere in this Inspiring Interview.

Childhood Infleunce

Growing up, my parents taught us the value of leadership without a title. It was the principle of ‘if you see something that needed doing, just do it, without waiting on someone else to fix it’. This was pretty much the principle that underpinned my childhood. When you have a diplomat father and a mother who is a headteacher, you’re often drafted in to support one cause or the other, especially through their networks such as The Rotary Club etc. Generally, giving back in any capacity was the norm in our household. I remember at the age of 14, my Mum drafted me in to lead on various children’s clubs in her school. I was running a reading club, dancing club, all afterschool, so being a leader was very much a part of my upbringing.

What Inspired me to work at  The Diana Award

When the Princess of Wales was tragically killed in a car crash in 1997, it was a defining moment in my life as like thousands of others, I placed a note with words of condolence alongside flowers to honour the Princess at Kensington Palace. That note, simply said ‘You rocked my world, I will honour yours too’.

Just two years later, at the time a very successful executive, I had my youngest child and an eureka moment when I realised the vulnerability of childhood and how as a committed mother, I would always champion my children, yet not every child had a champion or an advocate.

That moment was a defining and life changing moment as I made a commitment to devote the rest of my career to advocating and championing young people, building young people’s capacity for leadership and creating social equity that ensures young people can overcome the disadvantage of birth.

A few weeks later, I responded to an ad in the newspaper to help set up a new youth charity being formed. Unaware, at the time, that this was the beginning of The Diana Award, the only charity across the world set up to continue the legacy of Diana, Princess of Wales. I responded to this ad as it was very much in line with my passion.

More about my journey is in a book that I am writing, which will be published next year.

The Journey and It’s impact in Britain

 Twenty years on and with over 100,000 young people who have been supported through this charity, through our three core programmes; many of whom are young leaders across nations, the charity has grown from strength to strength, through a combination of strategic clarity and innovative approaches.

Having said that, our world is changing rapidly with the current Covid-19 pandemic which means that there are significant societal and environmental challenges ahead. It is incredibly important that as we rebuild our communities across the world that young people are at the centre of that work, as they are the long term victims of covid and they must be empowered to help shape the future. I was particularly proud to see the participation and leadership of young people during the #EndSars protest! For us at The Diana Award, we have always believed that young people can change their world, with the right support and we remain committed to building the capacity of young people to be at the heart of this rebuilding work.

Being awarded the commander of the British Empire Award

It was and remains an incredible honour. Twenty years ago when I gave up a promising career and a lucrative pay to join the third sector, it was completely out of the need for service. Twenty years on, to receive the highest honour from Her Majesty, The Queen is just mind blowing!

Your work cuts across Anti-Bullying, mentoring and capacity building, any plan to bring your work to Nigeria?

 You know what, we would love to! With the right level of investment and sponsorship, we would love to do much more across the Commonwealth and of course Nigeria, given my connections to the country! Just find me the right sponsor and we can talk!!

Other projects and activities

You know what, I am involved in so much across the charity sector; I am on the board of Comic Relief and we are making some incredible moves about how we support global communities build capacity. I am also the co-chair of the #iwill Leadership Board, which is a board of funders who are committed to ensuring young people are supported to create the change they want to see.

More about my work will also be in my new book so look out for it!

 Challenges of my work

Pushing for change is never easy. No one likes change, yet it is inevitable. The biggest challenge is always educating on the ‘why’. The other challenge is ensuring that we are well resourced to create the change we are advocating for. Resourcing a charity is a huge challenge but it is one that is so desperately needed. A recent stats in the UK showed that young people are more reliant on the support provided by the youth sector than ever before, yet the sector has less resources than ever before! That is the challenge.

3 women who inspire me to be better and why

  • Firstly, Rosa Parks – her quiet strength inspires me. She saw a need and demonstrated her strength and paved the way for generations to come.
  • Next is Oprah Winfrey, purely because growing up in Europe, I barely saw anyone like me on TV. Oprah made me visible. Watching her on telly allowed me to feel visible and made me realise that impossible is nothing and seeing Oprah day in day out helped me see that.
  • My third is absolutely Michelle Obama. She demonstrates leadership with integrity, authenticity and with grace. To me, she shows the balance between leading with a title yet remaining authentic to who you are. I loved seeing how she brought fun to her role, even as the First Lady. She was unafraid to do things different and that really inspires me. Like going on TV and dancing!!

The Nigerian society and it’s awareness with issues  surrounding bullying and oppression

I think society as a whole needs a lot more education about bullying, oppression and the misuse of power. There are so many historic things that were allowed to happen in the past, that today’s society is rightly saying NO to and that change in attitude needs to be talked about again and again, until we are all on the same page.

I do not believe this is exclusive to Nigeria because there are people in the UK who still brush bullying off as ‘banter’ or ‘character building’ which is absolutely wrong. We define bullying as any behaviour, either verbal, physical, cyber or indirect, that deliberately and repetitively undermines another, makes them uncomfortable, upset and unsafe is bullying.

The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle has described the past year as a member of the royal family as ‘hard’ and said her British friends warned her not to marry Harry.

The US-born former actress said she had tried to cope with the pressures of her new life, since marrying the Duke of Sussex in May 2018, by putting on a ‘stiff upper lip’ but she was not prepared for the intensity of tabloid interest.

She told ITV documentary Harry & Meghan: An African Journey: “It’s hard. I don’t think anybody could understand that, but in all fairness, I had no idea, which probably sounds difficult to understand … but when I first met my now-husband my friends were really happy because I was so happy, but my British friends said to me, ‘I’m sure he’s great but you shouldn’t do it because the British tabloids will destroy your life”.

Meghan, 38, said that, as an American, she ‘very naively’ thought this did not make any sense, adding: “I’m not in tabloids. I didn’t get it, so it’s been complicated”.

Watch video below

ITV News

@itvnews

Meghan admits she was ‘naive’ over British tabloids and reveals she was warned ‘they will destroy your life’ https://www.itv.com/news/2019-10-20/harry-and-meghan-an-african-journey/ 

Meghan admits she was ‘naive’ over British tabloids and reveals she was warned ‘they will destroy…

The Duchess of Sussex has admitted she was naive about the British tabloid press and revealed she was warned they “will destroy your life”. Mum Meghan told ITV’s Tom Bradby the year since marrying…

itv.com

ITV News

@itvnews

‘My British friend said to me ‘I’m sure he’s great but you shouldn’t do it”

The Duchess of Sussex reveals she was warned not to marry Prince Harry because ‘British tabloids will destroy your life’ https://www.itv.com/news/2019-10-20/harry-and-meghan-an-african-journey/ 

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The Duke of Sussex Prince Harry just proved that he is a doting son after he decided to open a health center after the name of his late mother Princess Diana. The 35-year-old arrived in South Africa with his wife Meghan Markle and their 4-month-old son Archie for the first day of their official 10-day tour.

According to the outlet, the Duke will also make the special visit on Friday to reopen it after it was named in her honor following a revamp. “This is all about wanting to fulfill his mother’s legacy,” a source close to the palace told the outlet, reported by Fox News.

“This tour will see the Duke and Duchess go back to basics, using their profile in the right way to highlight causes they are both passionate about.” “In a particularly significant and poignant journey, the Duke of Sussex will have the opportunity to return to Angola to see first-hand the legacy of his mother the late Diana,

Princess of Wales, whose visit to Huambo in 1997 helped raise awareness of the threat posed by land mines to communities and livelihoods,” added Harry’s private secretary Samantha Cohen.

Meghan Markle is set to launch her own women’s clothing line in aid of charity.

The Duchess of Sussex revealed this in the new issue of British Vogue which she guest edited.

The new mum has persuaded major British retailers Marks & Spencer, John Lewis and Jigsaw – along with her designer friend, Mischa Nonoo – to create a “capsule” collection of women’s workwear which will benefit Smart Works, a charity helping women back into the workplace. Each time a piece is bought from one of the retailers, a “like for like” item will be donated to the charity.

Smart Works, one of Meghan’s first patronages, helps women from disadvantaged backgrounds get interview-ready by providing them with a new outfit and coaching from a team of volunteer mentors, according to Daily Mail.

Meghan writes in the September issue of British Vogue: “When you walk into a Smart Works space you’re met with racks of clothing and an array of bags and shoes. Sometimes, however, it can be a potpourri of mismatched sizes and colours, not always the right stylistic choices or range of sizes.

“To help with this, I asked Marks & Spencer, John Lewis & Partners, Jigsaw and my friends, the designer Mischa Nonoo, if they were willing to design a capsule collection of more classic options for a workwear wardrobe.

 

Meghan Markle is to launch her own line of women

Meghan Markle and friend designer Mischa Nonoo in 2015

“Taking the idea further, many of the brands agreed to use the one-for-one model: for each item purchased by a customer, one is donated to the charity. Not only does this allow us to be part of each other’s story, it reminds us we are in it together.”

A royal source confirmed the idea had been Meghan’s and said the collection would be available later this year but no further details could be given at present.

While still working as an actress on the legal drama Suits in Toronto, Meghan had her own clothing line with local retailer, Reitmans, featuring vegan leather trousers.

 

 

Credit: LIB

According to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the Duchess of Sussex, Markle picked 15 women she considers strong proponents for change for the upcoming September edition of the magazine which she co-edited.

The Duchess, who gave birth to her first child in May, reportedly spent seven months working with British Vogue Editor-in-Chief, Edward Enninful on the issue.

She said in a statement that she had sought to steer the focus of the September issue, usually the year’s most read, to “the values, causes and people making impact in the world today.”

“Through this lens I hope you’ll feel the strength of the collective in the diverse selection of women chosen for the cover as well as the team of support I called upon within the issue to help bring this to light.

“I hope readers feel as inspired as I do, by the ‘Forces for Change’ they’ll find within these pages,” Markle said.

Alongside Adichie, the list also features teenage climate change campaigner, Greta Thunberg, New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Arden, boxer Ramla Ali and actress and women’s rights advocate Salma Hayek Pinault.

Adichie had written bestselling books including “We Should All Be Feminists,” “Americanah” and “The Thing Around Your Neck,” which have been translated into more than thirty languages.

She was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2015 and one of Fortune Magazine’s World’s 50 Greatest Leaders in 2017.

Adichie graduated summa cum laude from Eastern Connecticut State University in 2001 with a degree in communication and political science. (NAN)

Credit: allafrica.com, NAN

Photo credit: legit.ng

Blossom Ozurumba, an author, has criticized the way the birth of baby Sussex was announced.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry welcomed their royal baby early on Monday morning. Hours later, their official Instagram account made the announcement, writing: “It’s a boy!”

Blossom, who is an Igbo language Editor at Wikipedia, doesn’t approve of the emphasis on the baby being a boy.

She tweeted: 

I am as overjoyed as their Royal Highnesses, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex but I must not fail to express my view that I have the exact distaste for this announcement as I had for the “Mama Na Boy” TV commercial produced by MTN Nigeria Limited in 2003 which was downright sexist. 

Nigerian author Blossom Ozurumba says the royal baby announcement was "downright sexist"

Credit: LIB

With her husband, Prince Harry as the President and their new baby on the way, the Duchess will highlight the Trust’s partnerships with young people across the Commonwealth, most especially its work supporting women and girls in her new prestigious role.

Meghan joined a special panel discussion of female thought-leaders and activists convened by The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust to mark the appointment and celebrate International Women’s Day. They also discussed various issues affecting women today.

Kensington Palace

@KensingtonRoyal

On The Duchess of Sussex has become Vice-President of The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust.

The @QueensComTrust, of which The Queen is Patron and The Duke of Sussex is President, exists to champion, fund and connect young leaders around the world

Queen’s CW Trust@queenscomtrust

We are delighted to announce that as of today The Duchess of Sussex will take on the role of Vice-President for The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust.
Please join us is welcoming Her Royal Highness to #TeamQCT@KensingtonRoyal

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Kensington Palace added:

“THE QUEEN’S COMMONWEALTH TRUST, WHICH THE QUEEN IS PATRON AND THE DUKE OF SUSSEX IS PRESIDENT, EXISTS TO CHAMPION, FUND AND CONNECT YOUNG LEADERS AROUND THE WORLD.”

Members Of The Royal Family Attend Events To Mark The Centenary Of The RAF

Nicola Brentnall, chief executive, said:

“WE ARE PARTICULARLY DELIGHTED THAT THE FIRST OPPORTUNITY OF FORMALLY WORKING TOGETHER WITH HER ROYAL HIGHNESS COMES ON INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY. THIS SQUARES PERFECTLY WITH OUR FOCUS ON AMPLIFYING THE WORK AND CONTRIBUTION OF THOSE FURTHEST AWAY FROM POWER. WOMEN ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH AND THE GLOBE OFTEN FACE THE BIGGEST IMPEDIMENTS TO SUCCESS. SO WE ARE DELIGHTED TO HAVE OUR VICE-PRESIDENT’S SUPPORT IN HELPING OTHERS TO OVERCOME THOSE OBSTACLES.”

At the Women’s Day panel, Meghan Markle was joined by model and founder of Gurls Talk Adwoa Aboah, Chair of Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London Julia Guillard, Chrisann Jarrett, founder of Let Us Learn, and Angeline Murimirwa, Executive Director Campaign for Female Education.

At the panel, Meghan Markle mentioned that she’d love for her baby to be a feminist.

The Duchess said:

“I’D SEEN THIS DOCUMENTARY ON NETFLIX ABOUT FEMINISM AND ONE OF THE THINGS THEY SAID DURING PREGNANCY WAS ‘I FEEL THE EMBRYONIC KICKING OF FEMINISM’ I LOVE THAT. SO BOY OR GIRL OR WHATEVER IT IS, WE HOPE THAT THAT’S THE CASE WITH OUR LITTLE BUMP.”

This is not be the first time Meghan Markle will be involved in issues concerning women globally. She has been on this mission since 2014, and has also worked for the United Nations’ Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.

Watch the highlight of the Women’s Day panel:

Late OAP, Tosyn Bucknor, late Nollywood actress, Aisha Abimbola and Nigeria’s main opposition leader, Atiku Abubakar are among the most searched people on Google in 2018.

Google announced the top searched people and other trending stories in Nigeria on Wednesday, December 12, 2018.The Google trend report revealed  2018 moments and top trends based on searches conducted all over the world, and in Nigeria.

The top-trending lists contain major events in news, loses, movies, sports, lyrics and questions Nigerian asked Google in 2018.

Below is the list of top 10 biggest people of the year 2018 according to Google.

1. Alexis Sanchez

2. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

3. Meghan Markle

4. Stan Lee

5. Philippe Coutinho

6. Atiku Abubakar

7. Tosyn Bucknor

8. Avicii

9. Aisha Abimbola

10. Sylvester Stallone

 

Credit: LIB