Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were stranded at the airport after the pilot fell ill before the flight to Nigeria

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle recently had to wait at Heathrow Airport after their British Airways pilot fell ill shortly before the couple’s departure for their three-day visit to Nigeria.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have landed in the West African country for their short tour after Harry recently travelled to London to mark the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games.

Meghan did not attend the service at St. Paul’s Cathedral with Harry, but flew alone from her home airport in LA to Heathrow, where she was reunited with him in the airport’s exclusive Windsor Suite.

They took an overnight flight to Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, but had a somewhat difficult start.

Their 11-hour flight was slightly delayed because the scheduled pilot fell ill and a replacement had to be found at the last minute, reports the Express.

On their first trip together to Nigeria, Harry and Meghan enjoyed the comfort of the Boeing 777’s First Class, separated from the rest of the passengers by a curtain.

When the royal couple landed in Nigeria at 5am, other passengers were reportedly held back so they could be escorted off the plane. As they disembarked, the pair smiled at the cabin crew.

Upon arrival at Abuja Nnamdi Azikiwe International, they were greeted by Nigerian officials and quickly escorted through a side door onto the tarmac and into a waiting darkened minibus.

Harry and Meghan were seen arriving at the event with their usual security team, who had accompanied Harry throughout his recent trip to London.

Last week, Prince Harry returned to the UK to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games at a special service at St Paul’s Cathedral. However, it was a solo trip for Harry as Meghan remained in California with their children.

Despite alleged invitations from Harry, no member of the royal family attended the event on Wednesday.

Further distancing occurred when King Charles and Harry did not meet this week, despite being only a few miles apart at times as Charles hosted a garden party at Buckingham Palace.

A spokesman for Prince Harry confirmed earlier this week that there would be no father-son meeting, pointing out that the king himself has a “busy schedule.”