Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were photographed with a wanted man, Allen Onyema, who used their meeting to promote his airline, Air Peace, as “#royallyapproved.”
This incident highlights a recurring problem for the Royal Family.
Controversy: Harry and Meghan’s Nigeria Trip
Earlier this month, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited Nigeria, where they met school children and celebrated Harry’s Invictus Games with Nigerian soldiers.
During the trip, Meghan mentioned that she is 43% Nigerian and referred to it as “my country.”
However, the Daily Mail reported that one of the dignitaries they met, Allen Onyema, is wanted in America for fraud.
Onyema is accused of using his status as a business leader to launder over $20 million from Nigeria through U.S. bank accounts.
The indictment accuses him of using funds from Nigerian organizations for personal expenses, like buying an armored Lexus, and to expand the Air Peace fleet.
Harry and Meghan flew on an Air Peace plane, but it wasn’t one mentioned in the indictment.
They were photographed with Onyema at the Lagos airport on May 12, after traveling from Abuja.
The Nigerian chief of defense staff organized all their internal travel, including the flight.
Air Peace, the largest airline in Nigeria and West Africa, took advantage of this opportunity, posting pictures and videos of Harry and Meghan meeting Onyema.
The airline’s official Twitter account shared their excitement and used the hashtags #HarryandMeghan and #RoyallyApproved.
We were elated to have on board earlier today the Duke & Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry & Meghan, as well as their entourage.
The royal couple were received in Lagos by top-tier military officials, Air Peace Chairman, Dr Allen Onyema & other government delegates. pic.twitter.com/cmtQamuCQw
— Air Peace (@flyairpeace) May 12, 2024
This situation raises a common issue for the Royal Family: people often use their connections with royals to boost their own status.
Each interaction carries reputational risks for the royals involved.
Air Peace’s use of the meeting for advertising purposes might upset the palace, which tries to prevent the royal brand from being linked to private companies.
For example, in 2019, Kensington Palace denied claims that Princess Kate had received baby botox to protect the monarchy’s reputation.
There are other instances of problematic meetings, such as King Charles III’s friendship with Jimmy Savile, who was later exposed as a predatory pedophile.
Prince Harry and Prince William once posed with Sean “Diddy” Combs, who was later involved in a lawsuit alleging numerous offenses, though his lawyer maintains his innocence.
Meghan also faced criticism for wearing earrings given by Mohammed bin Salman, who was linked to the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
From Harry and Meghan’s perspective, they were simply accepting hospitality during a successful tour funded partly by Nigeria’s chief of defense staff.
However, Onyema can now use his association with them to his advantage.
He is only accused of fraud and is innocent until proven guilty, but this incident shows the challenges of organizing such visits without the support they had as working royals.
Previously, the British embassy would help organize their travel and vet dignitaries, but they no longer have that assistance.
They must decide whether to continue their current approach or rethink how they fund and organize future tours to avoid similar situations.