Prince Harry Reveals Plans for the Future — and Why He and Meghan Markle ‘Look Forward to Traveling More’ (Exclusive)

Prince Harry Reveals Plans for the Future — and Why He and Meghan Markle ‘Look Forward to Traveling More’

The Duke of Sussex tells PEOPLE what drives him and Meghan to make a difference

Prince Harry knows the importance of personal connection when it comes to his and wife Meghan Markle’s work.

Speaking to PEOPLE on the couple’s three-day trip to Nigeria, the Duke of Sussex says, “It is hugely important for us to meet directly with people, supporting our causes and listening, in order to bring about solutions, support and positive change.”

Looking to the future, Harry and Meghan are anticipating more travel opportunities to further their initiatives.

“There’s only so much one can do from home and over Zoom, so we look forward to traveling more because the work matters. Whether it’s the Archewell Foundation, Invictus or any of our other causes, there will always be reasons to meet the people at the heart of our work,” the duke says.
Harry and Meghan traveled to Nigeria to champion their Archewell Foundation’s mental health initiatives for young people and to promote the Invictus Games, which Nigeria joined for the first time last year.

“I’m so happy with the growth of Invictus and to include Nigeria,” the Duke of Sussex says. “You know what Africa means to me over the years. It is a very, very special place, and to be able to include Nigeria now [in Invictus], I’m very happy.”

The Duke of Sussex also recalled his emotional visit to a military hospital in Kaduna, which PEOPLE joined, and the “very low morale” he felt among the approximately 50 men there.

Out of those 50, there were two guys who were smiley and happy. And they were the two who were in Germany [at the Düsseldorf Invictus Games] last year,” Harry says, emphasizing the “transformative power” of sport.

“That experience of knowing what life post-injury is like gives people so much hope. And hope, hope, hope is a huge part of this,” he says.

Related: All the Best Photos from Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s Nigeria Trip!

For Meghan, the trip also brought her closer to her roots. In 2022, the duchess discovered through a genealogy test that she is 43 percent Nigerian.

“It was incredibly memorable and special,” Meghan says of their time in Nigeria. “That alone is the best souvenir to take with us — all the memories we’ve made.”

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Calling back to the empowering message she shared with a group of young students on their first day in Nigeria, Meghan says, “I saw myself in them. I see the potential in all of these young girls — and, by the way, in these young boys as well,” she adds,

The Duchess of Sussex then thought of her son Prince Archie, 5, and daughter Princess Lilibet, who turns 3 in June.

“It’s what we see in our own children — to give them that promise and excitement for their futures,” Meghan tells PEOPLE.

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LONDON (AP) — King Charles III has unveiled the first portrait of the monarch completed since he assumed the throne, a vivid image that depicts him in the bright red uniform of the Welsh Guards against a background of similar hues.

The larger-than-life painting by artist Jonathan Yeo captures the king with his hands clasped atop the hilt of his sword and a butterfly flitting above his right shoulder. Charles got his first look at the canvas Tuesday at Buckingham Palace.

Yeo began the portrait more than a year before Charles became king, with a sitting at the then-Prince of Wales’ Highgrove estate in June 2021. The last sitting took place in November 2023 at Clarence House, one of the king’s residences in London.
“When I started this project, His Majesty The King was still His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, and much like the butterfly I’ve painted hovering over his shoulder, this portrait has evolved as the subject’s role in our public life has transformed,’’ Yeo said.

The portrait, which is approximately 8 1/2 by 6 1/2 feet, will be on display at the Philip Mould Gallery in London from May 16 to June 14. From the end of August, it will be displayed at Drapers’ Hall across town.

The portrait was commissioned to celebrate Charles’ 50 years as a member of the Drapers’ Company, which was set up more than 600 years ago as a trade association for wool merchants.

Philanthropy came to be part of their mission and the company is now a grant-giving body.

Artist Jonathan Yeo, center, and Britain’s King Charles III at the unveiling of Yeo’s portrait of the King, in the blue drawing room at Buckingham Palace, in London, Tuesday May 14, 2024. The portrait was commissioned in 2020 to celebrate the then Prince of Wales’s 50 years as a member of The Drapers’ Company in 2022. The artwork depicts the King wearing the uniform of the Welsh Guards, of which he was made Regimental Colonel in 1975. The canvas size – approximately 8.5 by 6.5 feet when framed – was carefully considered to fit within the architecture of Drapers’ Hall and the context of the paintings it will eventually hang alongside. (Aaron Chown/Pool Photo via AP)
Artist Jonathan Yeo, center, and Britain’s King Charles III at the unveiling of Yeo’s portrait of the King, in the blue drawing room at Buckingham Palace, in London, Tuesday May 14, 2024. The portrait was commissioned in 2020 to celebrate the then Prince of Wales’s 50 years as a member of The Drapers’ Company in 2022. The artwork depicts the King wearing the uniform of the Welsh Guards, of which he was made Regimental Colonel in 1975. The canvas size – approximately 8.5 by 6.5 feet when framed – was carefully considered to fit within the architecture of Drapers’ Hall and the context of the paintings it will eventually hang alongside. (Aaron Chown/Pool Photo via AP) © Provided by The Associated Press

Artist Jonathan Yeo, left, and Britain’s King Charles III at the unveiling of Yeo’s portrait of the King, in the blue drawing room at Buckingham Palace, in London, Tuesday May 14, 2024. The portrait was commissioned in 2020 to celebrate the then Prince of Wales’s 50 years as a member of The Drapers’ Company in 2022. The artwork depicts the King wearing the uniform of the Welsh Guards, of which he was made Regimental Colonel in 1975. The canvas size – approximately 8.5 by 6.5 feet when framed – was carefully considered to fit within the architecture of Drapers’ Hall and the context of the paintings it will eventually hang alongside. (Aaron Chown/Pool Photo via AP)
Artist Jonathan Yeo, left, and Britain’s King Charles III at the unveiling of Yeo’s portrait of the King, in the blue drawing room at Buckingham Palace, in London, Tuesday May 14, 2024. The portrait was commissioned in 2020 to celebrate the then Prince of Wales’s 50 years as a member of The Drapers’ Company in 2022. The artwork depicts the King wearing the uniform of the Welsh Guards, of which he was made Regimental Colonel in 1975. The canvas size – approximately 8.5 by 6.5 feet when framed – was carefully considered to fit within the architecture of Drapers’ Hall and the context of the paintings it will eventually hang alongside. (Aaron Chown/Pool Photo via AP) © Provided by The Associated Press

Artist Jonathan Yeo, left, and Britain’s King Charles III at the unveiling of Yeo’s portrait of the King, in the blue drawing room at Buckingham Palace, in London, Tuesday May 14, 2024. The portrait was commissioned in 2020 to celebrate the then Prince of Wales’s 50 years as a member of The Drapers’ Company in 2022. The artwork depicts the King wearing the uniform of the Welsh Guards, of which he was made Regimental Colonel in 1975. The canvas size – approximately 8.5 by 6.5 feet when framed – was carefully considered to fit within the architecture of Drapers’ Hall and the context of the paintings it will eventually hang alongside. (Aaron Chown/Pool Photo via AP)
Artist Jonathan Yeo, left, and Britain’s King Charles III at the unveiling of Yeo’s portrait of the King, in the blue drawing room at Buckingham Palace, in London, Tuesday May 14, 2024. The portrait was commissioned in 2020 to celebrate the then Prince of Wales’s 50 years as a member of The Drapers’ Company in 2022. The artwork depicts the King wearing the uniform of the Welsh Guards, of which he was made Regimental Colonel in 1975. The canvas size – approximately 8.5 by 6.5 feet when framed – was carefully considered to fit within the architecture of Drapers’ Hall and the context of the paintings it will eventually hang alongside. (Aaron Chown/Pool Photo via AP) © Provided by The Associated Press

Britain’s King Charles III greets artist Jonathan Yeo at the unveiling of Yeo’s portrait of the King, in the blue drawing room at Buckingham Palace, in London, Tuesday May 14, 2024. The portrait was commissioned in 2020 to celebrate the then Prince of Wales’s 50 years as a member of The Drapers’ Company in 2022. The artwork depicts the King wearing the uniform of the Welsh Guards, of which he was made Regimental Colonel in 1975. The canvas size – approximately 8.5 by 6.5 feet when framed – was carefully considered to fit within the architecture of Drapers’ Hall and the context of the paintings it will eventually hang alongside. (Aaron Chown/Pool Photo via AP)
Britain’s King Charles III greets artist Jonathan Yeo at the unveiling of Yeo’s portrait of the King, in the blue drawing room at Buckingham Palace, in London, Tuesday May 14, 2024. The portrait was commissioned in 2020 to celebrate the then Prince of Wales’s 50 years as a member of The Drapers’ Company in 2022. The artwork depicts the King wearing the uniform of the Welsh Guards, of which he was made Regimental Colonel in 1975. The canvas size – approximately 8.5 by 6.5 feet when framed – was carefully considered to fit within the architecture of Drapers’ Hall and the context of the paintings it will eventually hang alongside. (Aaron Chown/Pool Photo via AP) © Provided by The Associated Press

Artist Jonathan Yeo, at the unveiling of artist Jonathan Yeo’s portrait of the King, in the blue drawing room at Buckingham Palace, in London, Tuesday May 14, 2024. The portrait was commissioned in 2020 to celebrate the then Prince of Wales’s 50 years as a member of The Drapers’ Company in 2022. The artwork depicts the King wearing the uniform of the Welsh Guards, of which he was made Regimental Colonel in 1975. The canvas size – approximately 8.5 by 6.5 feet when framed – was carefully considered to fit within the architecture of Drapers’ Hall and the context of the paintings it will eventually hang alongside. (Aaron Chown/Pool Photo via AP)
Artist Jonathan Yeo, at the unveiling of artist Jonathan Yeo’s portrait of the King, in the blue drawing room at Buckingham Palace, in London, Tuesday May 14, 2024. The portrait was commissioned in 2020 to celebrate the then Prince of Wales’s 50 years as a member of The Drapers’ Company in 2022. The artwork depicts the King wearing the uniform of the Welsh Guards, of which he was made Regimental Colonel in 1975. The canvas size – approximately 8.5 by 6.5 feet when framed – was carefully considered to fit within the architecture of Drapers’ Hall and the context of the paintings it will eventually hang alongside. (Aaron Chown/Pool Photo via AP) © Provided by
This undated photo issued on Tuesday May 14, 2024 by Buckingham Palace of artist Jonathan Yeo’s oil on canvas portrait of Britain’s King Charles III. The portrait was commissioned in 2020 to celebrate the then Prince of Wales’s 50 years as a member of The Drapers’ Company in 2022. The artwork depicts the King wearing the uniform of the Welsh Guards, of which he was made Regimental Colonel in 1975. The canvas size – approximately 8.5 by 6.5 feet when framed – was carefully considered to fit within the architecture of Drapers’ Hall and the context of the paintings it will eventually hang alongside. Jonathan Yeo had four sittings with the King, beginning when he was Prince of Wales in June 2021 at Highgrove, and later at Clarence House. The last sitting took place in November 2023 at Clarence House. Yeo also worked from drawings and photography he took, allowing him to work on the portrait in his London studio between sittings. (His Majesty King Charles III by Jonathan Yeo 2024 via PA)
This undated photo issued on Tuesday May 14, 2024 by Buckingham Palace of artist Jonathan Yeo’s oil on canvas portrait of Britain’s King Charles III. The portrait was commissioned in 2020 to celebrate the then Prince of Wales’s 50 years as a member of The Drapers’ Company in 2022. The artwork depicts the King wearing the uniform of the Welsh Guards, of which he was made Regimental Colonel in 1975. The canvas size – approximately 8.5 by 6.5 feet when framed – was carefully considered to fit within the architecture of Drapers’ Hall and the context of the paintings it will eventually hang alongside. Jonathan Yeo had four sittings with the King, beginning when he was Prince of Wales in June 2021 at Highgrove, and later at Clarence House. The last sitting took place in November 2023 at Clarence House.