Camilla honours ‘Nigerian Billy Elliot’

A poor Nigerian boy whose unlikely journey to a British dance academy is being chronicled by Disney met Queen Consort Camilla on Tuesday, as he trains to become a professional.

Anthony Madu, 13, is studying at the Elmhurst Ballet School in Birmingham, central England, two years after moving from the sprawling megacity of Lagos.

Queen Consort Camilla visited Elmhurst as part of the school´s centenary celebrations, wishing him "good luck" after asking about his interest in dance.

Later, Buckingham Palace shared photos of Camilla with Madu.

The palace said, “A wonderful day in the West Midlands! The Queen Consort joined staff and students of @elmhurstballetschool to celebrate the school’s centenary.

“Among the students was Nigerian ballet dancer Anthony Mmesoma Madu, who received a scholarship to the School in 2020 after a video of him dancing barefoot in the rain went viral online.”

Later, she visited volunteers at Southwater One Library to thank them for the generous support they provide to the local community.

According to AFP, last September, Disney announced it was making a documentary on Madu´s remarkable journey from the Leap of Dance Academy in Lagos to Britain.

Newspapers dubbed him the "Nigerian Billy Elliot", after the award-winning 2000 film about a coal miner´s son in northern England who wins a place at the Royal Ballet.