The Duchess was in a beautiful ruffled red maxi dress as she hosts a Women in Leadership panel in Nigeria.
She cohosted the event with Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, director general of the World Trade Organization, with a goal of highlighting the importance of female leadership and empowerment in driving positive change globally.
Meghan looked radiant in her red gown by Orire—an upcoming female designer from Nigeria—which boasted barely-there straps and a ruffled bottom. To contrast the bold color, the duchess accessorized sparingly with a diamond tennis necklace, gold bangle bracelets, and a diamond ring. She polished off her look with simple nude stilettos, and kept her dark hair slicked back in a bun.
The event, for about 50 leading women from across Nigerian society and politics, business, media and culture, kicked off with the duchess and Dr. Okonjo-Iweala taking part in a panel discussion, moderated by Nigerian media mogul Mo Abudu who runs Africa’s first global black entertainment lifestyle network.
After the introductions, Abudu asked how the duchess felt about finding out she was Nigerian. “Well, firstly, thank you all so much for being here. I am just flattered and honored and inspired. It has been a whirlwind 24 hours since we arrived, and I very quickly got the memo than I need to wear more color so I can fit in with all of you in your incredible fashion. I am very overwhelmed. So I want to start by saying thank you very much for just how gracious you’ve all been in welcoming my husband and I to this country,” she said before adding to applause, “my country.”
Meghan explained that the first thing she did when she found out her heritage “was call my mom, because I wanted to know if she had any awareness of it.” The duchess added that it was exciting for both of them to discover more about their African-American background, and that the process was “really eye-opening and humbling.” Moderator Abudu then joked that the audience would have to decide on a Nigerian name for Meghan.
After Abudu outlined the importance of women in power, the duchess spoke on the impact of representation: “You need to at least be a familiar face for the next generation to say, ‘oh, she looks like me. And I can be that.’” Success isn’t defined by leaving home, she said, but rather from coming home and shifting generational patterns. “I hope that I could do justice to the role model that I think so many young women deserve to have,” she continued.
Being a role model doesn’t always mean being serious and strong, Meghan said, “You can be a woman, you can be beautiful and intelligent. You can be powerful and playful, and they can coexist.” Meghan cited a lesson from her own personal mentor, Bonnie Hammer, Vice Chairman of NBC. “[Work/life] balance will always change for you. That balance, what seems balanced 10 years ago is going to shift. And so being a mom has always been a dream of mine. And I’m so fortunate that we have two beautiful, healthy, very chatty sweet children,” she said.
