Meghan Markle acknowledged Nigeria as ‘my country’ while discussing how she had learned about her heritage via a genealogy test.

meghan markle attends abuja panel in red dress

Meghan said that learning about her background was a humbling experience (Image: Getty)

Meghan Markle has been bestowed a new title after opening up about learning about her Nigerian roots during her second day in the country.

The Duchess of Sussex joined World Trade Organisation chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to address a crowd of young women and girls in the Nigerian capital, Abuja.

During the meeting, Meghan described her discovery as “humbling” and said she had become increasingly appreciative of her heritage, calling Nigeria “my country.”

She said: “Never in a million years would I understand it as much as I do now. And what has been echoed so much in the past day is, ’Oh, we are not so surprised when we found out you are Nigerian.

“It is a compliment to you because what they define as a Nigerian woman is brave, resilient, courageous, beautiful.”

meghan markle in red dress sitting at table

Meghan acknowledged Nigeria as her country as she described her excitement about her heritage (Image: Getty)

The Duchess confirmed in her Spotify podcast Archetype that she had learned she is “43 percent Nigerian” after taking a genealogy test, and immediately shared the news with mum Doria Ragland.

She added: “Being African American, part of it is really not knowing so much about your lineage and background … and it was exciting for both of us.”

Her excitement about her background prompted Mo Abudu, the panel’s moderator and chief executive of EbonyLife media group, to ask attendees to pick a Nigerian name for the Duchess.

Members of the crowd proposed “Ifeoma,” a name used by the Igbo tribe meaning “a treasured thing.” Other attendees suggested “Omowale”, meaning “the child has come home.”