The two ‘royal excursions’ as Harry and William go to Nigeria and Cornwall

They were once inseparable brothers, often laughing and joking together at royal events and bound together by a shared grief over the loss of their mother.

But the divergent trajectories on which Princes William and Harry now head were on stark display this week as they carried out a series of very different engagements.

While Harry was over in London from California, William was found in Windsor and Cornwall – and travelled to the Isles of Scilly today, while Harry flew off to Nigeria.

Harry was afforded a rockstar’s welcome in Abuja with his wife Meghan Markle as excited crowds clamoured to take selfies and the military rolled out the red carpet. 

But the Prince of Wales enjoyed his trip to Scilly like any other tourist, swimming in the sea, breaking ground for a new hospital facility and buying Cornish pasties. 

William’s visit has been very informal at times – playing an impromptu game of volleyball, signing casts for children and taking selfies with fans on the beach.

Some 3,000 miles away, Harry flew into Abuja today with Meghan where they visited children at a school and met officials at Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters.

While they danced around with the pupils and also took selfies, other parts of the trip were more formal with a large military presence as the couple met dignitaries.

Photographs were being issued of their trips at the same time today in a head-to-head between the brothers who are not thought to have spoken in more than a year.

Royal expert Phil Dampier said of Harry and Meghan’s visit: ‘The trip to Nigeria has been described as a private one but it was at the invitation of the country’s Defence Minister and it has the air of a sort of quasi-royal tour.’

He told MailOnline: ‘In a sense Harry and Meghan are doing exactly what the late Queen didn’t want them to do – appear half in and half out. They are not representing the UK officially but they are trying to give that impression an having their cake and eating it.’

And former BBC royal correspondent Michael Cole added that the trip ‘is not in any way an official visit by members of the British Royal Family‘.

He told MailOnline: ‘That involves strict protocol following the granting of approval by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London and a formal signing off by the Prime Minister.

‘It is instead a private visit by two royal personages. It will be fascinating to see how the Duke and Duchess deport themselves, flying as a duo but very much on their own and apart from the Buckingham Palace apparatus that is the essential part of any and every visit that members of the Royal Family make outside the United Kingdom.’

In the Isles of Scilly today, William ordered five Cornish pasties during a visit to the harbour on the island of St Mary’s, and joked that they were not all for him.

He travelled to St Mary’s Island, home to the largest population among more than 200 islands, to tour the waterfront and learn about its importance to Islanders.

And he donned a wetsuit to go swimming in the waters around Tresco – where it is rumoured he spends breaks with his family.

The future king had travelled to Hugh Town on St Mary’s to tour the waterfront, bathed in brilliant summer sunshine, and to learn about its importance to Islanders gearing up for the tourist season.

William made a beeline for On The Quay cafe where staff had baked a bigger batch of pasties, with flavours from chicken and chorizo to Bombay potato, in anticipation of the prince popping in.

Asked by staff Joely Dearman, 22, and Zachariah Fox, 28, what type of pasty he wanted, the Prince replied ‘traditional’, and asked for five.

As everyone in the cafe laughed, he quickly added: ‘They’re not all for me’, and added: ‘It does smell delicious in here.’

He went on to tell them: ‘I was saying to the others, I can’t believe the islands today when you’ve got weather like this, it’s just beautiful.

‘I got in the sea yesterday which was good – I wore a wetsuit.’

He was also asked about Kate as he toured the only hospital on the Isles of Scilly to learn about a major building project to improve facilities being constructed on land owned by his Duchy of Cornwall.

Tracy Smith, administrator at St Mary’s Community Hospital in Hugh Town, greeted William when he arrived and hosted his tour of the small medical centre following his visit to the harbour where he bought his entourage Cornish pasties.

Ms Smith said: ‘I asked William about his wife Kate and he said: ‘She’s doing well, thanks,’ and I suggested they might like to come for a visit and bring the children.’

The Princess of Wales appealed for her family to have time, space and privacy when she announced her diagnosis for an undisclosed form of cancer on March 22, and said she had begun chemotherapy.

William was given a card for his father the King – also a cancer patient – and Kate by Matron Lynda McHale, who said: ‘It was a card from my granddaughter who wanted to wish his father and wife ‘get well soon’.’

William, who is also the Duke of Cornwall, a title inherited from his father after the Queen’s death, runs the Duchy of Cornwall, a portfolio of land, property and investments valued at more than £1 billion, which provide an income for the heir to the throne.

The Duchy owns much of the Isles of Scilly and nearly a third of residential buildings.

St Mary’s harbour is run by the duchy and handles passengers and vessels, from ‘Tripper Boats’ to fishing vessels and cargo ships, making it a crucial part of the community and a hub for the vital tourism industry.

William spent time with harbour operators as well as local people from firms on St Mary’s, hearing about life on the islands and their preparations for the summer season when tens of thousands of tourists flock to the rocky outcrops.

Today marked the second day of William’s two-day visit to Cornwall, after he took part in an impromptu game of volleyball on one of the UK’s most popular beaches yesterday.

William joined in a game with teenagers from a local lifesaving club on Fistral Beach in Newquay.

The warm spring weather, with temperatures of around 16C and a gentle breeze, had attracted large numbers of the public to the beach to enjoy the sand and waves – as well as a chance to catch a glimpse of the prince.

The beach is popular with surfers and regularly hosts international competitions, as well as the Boardmasters festival.

William started the game and his prowess at serving proved too much as the opposition repeatedly knocked the ball into the net while attempting a return.

During the visit, the prince met members of the Holywell Bay and Newquay Surf lifesaving clubs and watched demonstrations of training drills, including surfboard skills and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

He asked one group of teenagers: ‘What is it like out there? Looks good for a few waves.’

The prince also met members of the RNLI who patrol the beach and spoke with on-duty lifeguards in the lifeboat station.

This year, the RNLI is celebrating its 200th anniversary, having been formed in 1824. Before leaving, William met members of the public and posed for selfies.

Earlier yesterday, he had visited a Duchy of Cornwall housing project at Nansledan in Newquay aimed at giving a home to the homeless.

The scheme – in partnership with the Cornish charity St Petrocs – will see 24 homes built on Duchy land for people experiencing homelessness.

In addition to having somewhere to live, the project will provide wrap around support, and is inspired by Homewards – a five-year programme led by The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales to show that it is possible to end homelessness.

Construction is set to begin in September and the first homes are due for completion in the autumn of next year.

As for Harry and Meghan, they arrived in Nigeria today to champion the Invictus Games and support mental health for young people affected by conflicts.

Harry founded the Invictus Games to aid the rehabilitation of wounded and sick service members and veterans, among them Nigerian soldiers fighting a 14-year war against Islamic extremists.

He and Meghan, visiting the West African nation for the first time on the invitation of its military, arrived in the capital, Abuja, early in the morning, according to defence spokesman Brigadier General Tukur Gusau.

The couple visited the Lightway Academy college which receives support from their Archewell Foundation to educate and train young girls affected by conflicts in Nigeria.

As they kicked off an inaugural mental health summit organised by local non-profit Geanco, which partners their foundation, the couple were greeted by a dancing troupe and a crowd of excited students and teachers.

‘We’ve got to acknowledge those amazing dance moves,’ Meghan said. ‘My husband was excited to jump up.’

They then went into the classrooms to talk to the children, who showed robot cars they had built.

They spoke to the students about mental health, and about their own children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

‘In some cases around the world … there is a stigma when it comes to mental health. Too many people don’t want to talk about it,’ Harry said.

‘So will you promise to us that after today, no more being scared, no more being unsure of mental health?’

Meghan praised her husband’s openness.

‘You see why I’m married to him?’ she said of Harry amid cheers, before urging the schoolchildren never to be ashamed of their experiences in life.

‘It is a complete honour to have our first visit to Nigeria, be here with all of you. We believe in you. We believe in your future,’ she said.

Student Nnenna Okorie could not hide her excitement at meeting the couple.

‘She is the prettiest human being ever,’ she said. ‘I admire her so much and then Harry. I love how he is so supportive.’

The couple will be meeting wounded soldiers and their families in what Nigerian officials have said is a show of support to improve the soldiers’ morale and wellbeing.

‘This engagement with Invictus is giving us the opportunity for the recovery of our soldiers,’ Abidemi Marquis, the director of sports at Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters said.

Harry served in Afghanistan as an Apache helicopter co-pilot gunner, after which he founded the Invictus Games in 2014 to offer wounded veterans and service members the challenge of competing in sports events similar to the Paralympics.

Nigeria was among the nations that participated in last year’s edition of the games.

During their stay, the couple will also attend basketball and volleyball matches and will meet local non-governmental organisations in Abuja and Lagos that are receiving support from them.

Meghan will also co-host an event on women in leadership with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, director general of the World Trade Organisation, according to their spokesman Charlie Gipson.

The Nigerian military has touted the Invictus Games as one which could help the recovery of thousands of its personnel who have been fighting the homegrown Boko Haram Islamic extremists and their factions since 2009 when they launched an insurgency.

’80 per cent of our soldiers that have been involved in this recovery programme are getting better (and) their outlook to life is positive,’ Mr Marquis said.

‘The recovery programme has given them an opportunity to improve their personal self-esteem, to improve their mental health and emotional intelligence.’