Princess Keisha of Nigeria says she didn’t know her now-husband was a prince until 2 years into their relationship, when his mom called her ‘my princess’

Princess Keisha Omilana was trying to find her way to a model casting in New York City when her life changed forever.

Of course, she couldn’t have known then — 16 years ago, lost and standing outside the W Hotel — that the man who had just approached her was her future husband. And that he was a Nigerian prince.

“I could feel this presence looking at me, and I look up and see this handsome gentleman just standing there,” Keisha told Insider.

“And nobody just stands in New York City. Everyone’s on their way somewhere, moving, going.

“He came up to me and said: ‘You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my entire life. Would you do me the honor of having your number? I’d love to take you out.'”

She said no — at least at first, anyway. After politely explaining that she didn’t give her number to strangers, she turned away from the man and continued on her journey. That was until, as Keisha explained, her “woman’s intuition” kicked in.

“The guy was nice. He spoke well, he looked decent. He wasn’t catcalling. I thought I should just give him my number and see what happens,” she said.

After turning back to the hotel, Keisha discovered the man “was still there, with his phone in his hand as if he knew I would come back.”

What she didn’t know was that she had just agreed to go on a date with Prince Adekunle “Kunle” Adebayo Omilana, from the Arigbabuowo ruling house in Nigeria. 

And she wouldn’t know his true identity for another two years, until she met his mother.

Prince Kunle’s mom called Keisha ‘my princess’ when they met, but she thought it was just a pet name — not her future title

She was destined to become Princess Keisha, and she didn’t even know it yet.

Her personal and professional life were about to become intertwined, however, when Kunle finally took Keisha to meet his family. She still didn’t know he was a prince. 

“In Nigerian culture, when you know that you want to spend the rest of your life with someone or you want to marry them, you bring them to your family, and as far as the family is concerned, from that moment on you are engaged,” Keisha told Insider.

“I remember meeting his mom, she was just so welcoming,” she said.

“She wrapped me in her arms and called me her daughter straight away. She said, ‘you are my princess.’

“And when you hear, ‘princess,’ well, all moms call their daughters princess. So that’s what I thought she was saying. But then we sat down and she told me the story of who her son was, what his name means, where he comes from, and I was just like ‘oh my goodness.’

“I just looked at him like, ‘you don’t just forget to say something like that!'”

Wow.