Meghan Markle praised ‘smart’ Harry as he promoted the importance of looking after mental health as the couple visited Nigeria.
Harry and Meghan visited a school after arriving in Nigeria for a three-day “private tour” of the country.
The couple have been pictured visiting the Lights Academy school before the duke meets injured service members at a military hospital.
The pair delivered a lecture on mental health to children at the school in Abuja.
Harry said: “There is no shame to be able to acknowledge that today is a bad day or that you woke up this morning feeling sad, that you left school feeling stressed, that you’ve lost a loved one in your family and have no one to turn to or speak to.”
Handing the microphone to the Duchess she said: “Do you see why I married him? He's so smart. And so inspiring because he speaks the truth.”
She told students they were “honoured” to be visiting Nigeria. “We believe in you, we believe in your futures, we believe in your ability to continue to tell your stories and just be honest with each other,” she said from a small stage.
“There is no need to suffer in silence. Just make sure you’re taking care of yourselves and your mental health by really talking about whatever is coming up for you.”
Inside the school, their first stop was in a kindergarten class where children aged 2-5 danced and sung songs for them.
One little two-year-old girl stepped forward and tentatively shook hands with Meghan. She then decided it was too much of step forward to shake Harry’s hand. “We all get shy sometimes,” Meghan said.
When they were introduced to the eldest child in the class – a 5-year-old - Meghan said: “Our son Archie’s 5. He turned five last week.“
Within a few minutes the couple were on their feet taking part in a riotous version of “jump up, turn around.”
“That was great,” Meghan said as they ended. “Do you love your teacher?”
Harry added, “Is singing and dancing your favourite class?”
“That’s Lili’s favorite class,” Meghan said of her daughter. “Maybe it’s all the jumping around.”
They were then taken to a STEM class where a group of youngsters showed the robot cars they’d created, with one proudly saying his was called M-Bot. “Who enjoys electronics?” Harry asked.
Meghan revealed her son Archie liked construction. And when they said that they’d be showing them in class one day, Meghan said: “We will have to come back for the exhibition.”
They will also attend a training session for charity organisation Nigeria: Unconquered, which collaborates with the Invictus Games, as well as a reception where military families will be honoured.
Meghan is then due to co-host an event of Women in Leadership with Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the director-general of the World Trade Organisation.
Prince Harry, 39, and Meghan,42, flew from London to Nigeria this morning, boarding a British Airways flight after a brief delay due to a pilot change. Seated in first class, they were separated from other passengers by a curtain on their first joint visit to the country.
It comes after the duke celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games at St Paul’s Cathedral in London on Wednesday.
The St Paul’s Cathedral service to recognise the Paralympic-style competition the royal founded began as a few miles away the King met guests at the first Buckingham Palace garden party of the year.
The monarch and his son did not meet during Harry’s brief UK visit due to the King’s “full programme”, said the duke’s spokesman in a statement.
There have been reports of issues of trust but the statement had a conciliatory tone and mentioned how the duke hoped to “see him soon”.
The Invictus Games was founded as a sporting event for injured and sick military personnel and veterans.
Harry met Nigeria’s chief of defence staff in Germany last September at the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf.
Local newspapers reported that Defence Headquarters was “honoured” and “delighted” after Harry and Meghan, who is of Nigerian descent, had accepted the invitation.
It will be their first visit to Nigeria as a couple.
Meghan revealed on her Archetypes podcast last October that she had discovered, via a genealogy test, that she was “43 per cent Nigerian”.
The Duke of Sussex spoke to pupils about mental health, saying: 'If you see your friend in your class not smiling, what are you going to do? Are you going to check in on them? Are you going to ask them if they're OK? Because it's OK not to be OK.'
Handing the microphone to the beaming Duchess in Abuja, she then added: 'Do you see why I married him? He's so smart. And so inspiring because he speaks the truth
The couple visited Wuse Lightway Academy which is supported by their Archewell Foundation, with Meghan encouraging pupils to 'just be honest with each other'.
They visited the school about five hours after their arrival in Abuja – before heading onto the Nigerian Defence Headquarters for their next engagement from noon.
Meghan - who was wearing a long Heidi Merrick 'Windsor' dress worth an estimated £450 - told the pupils: 'As I look around this room, I see myself in all of you as well. So it is a complete honour to have our first visit to Nigeria, be here with all of you.
'We believe in all of you, we believe in your futures, we believe in your ability to continue telling your stories and to just be honest with each other. There is no need to suffer in silence. Just make sure that you're taking care of yourselves.'
Meghan also praised James Holt, the executive director of the Archewell Foundation who has joined them on the trip, for his work - adding that his 'birthday is today'.
Harry gave his own speech about mental health, evoking memories of his suffering after his mother Princess Diana's death when he referred to people who have 'lost a loved one in your family and you don't know who to turn to or who to speak to'.
The Duke - who was 12 and his brother William 15 when Diana died in Paris in 1997 - added that there was 'no shame to be able to acknowledge that today is a bad day'.
He also told the children: 'You can have it, she (Meghan) can have it, I can have it. They can have it. Every single one of us is likely to have it on any given day.'
The Duke asked one child their age, and when they said they were five, he replied: 'You're five? Our son Archie is five.' Meghan added: 'That's right, he turned five.' She also said that Lilibet loved dancing, adding: 'Maybe it’s all the jumping around.'
The Sussexes were greeted by a dancing troupe and a crowd of excited students and teachers. Student Nnenna Okorie said of Meghan: 'She is the prettiest human being ever. I admire her so much and then Harry. I love how he is so supportive.'
At the Defence HQ, the couple spent an hour inside before emerging to cheers from and shaking hands with well-wishers amid chaotic scenes. An uncomfortable looking Harry quickly ushered Meghan into their car as onlookers almost overwhelmed them