Meghan Markle & Prince Harry Move To Help Flood Victims In Nigeria After Ancestral Reveal

Meghan Markle, who is almost never away from the headlines, was there recently for a shocking detail about her ancestry on Tuesday, October 25.

The Duchess of Sussex revealed via her podcast that she is partly Nigerian, after which she and her husband of four years, Prince Harry, made philanthropic moves toward assisting the flood victims of her ancestral home.

The lovely couple donated to charities functioning in Nigeria following the former actress' announcement on the sixth episode of her "Archetypes" podcast. In the episode, she explained that she found out she is 43% Nigerian after undergoing a genealogy test several years ago.

A press release accompanying the episode then confirmed that she and Prince Harry made unspecified donations to Save the Children and UNICEF. The representative said the donations to the charities would "help provide relief following devastating floods wreaking havoc in Nigeria." 

The floods in Nigeria, which the government blames on heavy rain and a water release from a dam in Cameroon, have killed over 600 people, displaced millions, and destroyed 440,000 hectares of farmland across the country.

In the meantime, Save the Children released a statement on social media acknowledging the crisis and the royal couple's donation to save the "affected families." It read:

"More than 1.5 million children are at risk after devastating flooding in Nigeria. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Archwell Foundation has donated to Save the Children in Nigeria as our teams deliver life-saving supplies to affected families."

The twosome once supported the charitable foundation in the past, during which Markle shared a video with her son Archie for the 2020 Save with Stories campaign.

Speaking of the "Archetypes" episode, titled "Upending The Angry Black Women Myth," The Blast reported that the California-born discussed her heritage with professor Emily Bernards, American actress Issa Rae and Nigerian-American talk show presenter Ziwe Fumudoh. 

After revealing to them that she was nearly half Nigerian, the guests expressed delight, particularly Ziwe, who asked if she knew whether she was from the Yoruba, Igbo, or Hausa tribe.

This prompted Markle to say she would start digging deeper into her Nigerian heritage mainly because everyone she told, especially Nigerian women, was always surprised at the news.

Ziwe then teased that she looked like "her aunt Ouzo," causing the four women to burst into hearty laughter. The revelation is certainly an eye-opener for both fans and paparazzi, given that it marked the first time the ex-movie star ever opened up about her ancestry in public.

As the conversation progressed, the women touched on the claims about black women being stereotyped as "angry," particularly in the movie industry. While reflecting on some of her past experiences as an ex-actress, Markle asked Rae if she ever felt permitted to be livid. The "Insecure" star said, "Absolutely not."

The Duchess of Sussex then revealed that she was scared of voicing her opinions because she feared being typecast as the "angry black woman." She explained, "I will find myself cowering and tiptoeing into a room," adding that she often said phrases where "the intonation goes up like a question" at the end.

Markle further elaborated that she used to tell herself to stop "whispering and tiptoeing around it" and say what she wanted, as she believed being clear did not make her a difficult or demanding person.

Markle's podcast "Archetypes" seemed to be loved by fans immediately after its debut as it made it to the top of Spotify podcast charts, trumping "Joe Rogan Experience." As reported by The Blast, "Archetypes" was released in August, with the first episode exploring the stereotypes women face and featuring an old buddy and tennis legend Serena Williams.

Amid the discussion, the women spoke on the term "Ambition" and how it has been used against career women. "The Bench" author admitted, "I don't remember ever personally feeling the negative connotation behind the word 'ambitious' until I started dating my now husband." 

She then pointed out that several people now saw ambition as a "terrible thing for a woman." And since she had experienced the negativity behind it, it was difficult to "unfeel" or "unsee" it, especially in the numerous females who constantly made themselves smaller.