African Royale, about a Nigerian princess finding her way in Los Angeles, debuts on The Africa Channel October 19. The show stars Abimbola Fernandez, who has the title of Her Imperial Highness.
She is the child of African diamond, oil and gold tycoon Deinde Fernandez and Aduke Fernandez, both of whom are deceased. Abimbola grew up in New York, when her father was a United Nations ambassador, and in France and Scotland. Her father left an enormous fortune behind and various parties, including a woman Fernandez described as her father’s mistress, are battling for a piece of the pie.
Fernandez is now based in Los Angeles, where she has a variety of businesses, and is “fighting fiduciary predators that have been stealing from my family,” she told B+C.
Fernadez’s father was Nigerian and her mother American. She believes they met when her mother was working in a hotel in Washington, D.C., and her father visited the place. She describes her father as “extremely loving and extremely caring” and as a serious businessman.
Her parents went through what she called “a very messy divorce” when she was a teen, and she figured African Royale might help other young people in similar situations deal with the difficult situation. “I lived through this, and I thought, why not share our experiences with other people,” Fernandez said. “Maybe they’ll get insights and learn and do things differently. Maybe they’ll be inspired to do better and steer clear of the obstacles we’ve faced.”
Also in the show are the actress and friend Akera Lewis, spiritual coach ‘M’ Nagle, agent Tiara and rock musician and friend Myke Terry. Lewis sees herself as the “hood princess,” according to Fernandez. “We come from two completely different worlds, but there is a bridge.”
Before the TV show, Fernandez had a musical career. She refers to herself as “a punk-rock princess” who loves alternative rock, primarily Blink 182, and heavy metal. She said she was teased as a child in Scotland for being different but was befriended by the alternative rockers in town. “They went to rock shows and they embraced me, so I kind of grew up amongst the rock kids,” she said.
She later did a month of college in Oxford before departing. “It wasn’t for me,” Fernandez said.
Fernandez has spent lots of time in Nigeria. She said many in America regard Africa based on the commercials they see, the ones that urge people to donate alongside images of starving children. There’s much more to it, she said. “It’s so rich in culture, but also the land itself is so rich in minerals,” Fernandez said. “It’s just as progressive as any city in the U.S.”
Fernandez said she consumes prodigious amounts of reality TV, including Bravo’s Real Housewives series and The Kardashians. “I’ve been dealing with a lot since my parents passed; it’s been a very heavy weight,” she said. “Reality TV has been a really great escape.”
With her father having nine kids, she also said HBO family drama Succession speaks to her on a number of levels. “It really resonates with me,” Fernandez said.
