Royal tour, day 16: Harry and Meghan tour New Zealand
WARDROBE malfunction or daring display? Meghan Markle pressed the flesh on the royal tour — with her undies showing.
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PRINCE Harry and Meghan Markle will finally wrap up their marathon 16-day royal tour today, following a staggering 76 engagements across Australia, Tonga, Fiji and New Zealand.
But before they fly back to London, the couple are spending the day in Rotorua.
DUCHESS OF SUSSEX ’S SWEET MOMENT WITH YOUNG FAN
Just in case you were in any doubt that Meghan will be a great mum, check out these adorable pictures of her meeting a little girl in Rotorua on Wednesday.
Two-year-old Catalina Rivera managed to get through the railings during a walkabout at Government Gardens and the Duchess was immediately taken by her young fan.
A smiling Meghan bent down to say hello and chat to the little girl before giving Catalina a hug.
The little girl was “very happy” to get a hug from the pregnant Duchess, the New Zealand Herald reported.
Judging by Meghan’s reaction it’s not just Prince Harry that is hoping the couple has a baby girl.
MEGHAN’S SEE THROUGH DRESS
Yep, you read that right. The Duchess met with crowds this afternoon in a stunning blue dress — that appeared to be quite see-through on the bottom half. Perhaps it didn’t look quite so revealing in the mirror?
ROYALS’ SWEET MOMENT
In one of the more “awwwwww!”-inducing moments of their tour, Harry and Meghan met a kiwi chick this afternoon which had only hatched from its egg minutes earlier. Royal correspondents on the scene report that Harry and Meghan named two newborn kiwi chicks Tihei (Maori for ‘sneeze’) and Koha (Maori for ‘gift’) during the visit.
The glamorous royals changed outfits after the morning’s activities, with the Duchess of Sussex donning Givenchy, and the Duke swapping his grey suit for beige pants and a black shirt for their visit to the National Kiwi Hatchery in Rainbow Springs.
And while we’re feeling all warm and fuzzy, how beautiful are these two photos of the royals, taken during their hatchery visit? How do they look this good on day 16 of an overseas trip? By this stage of a holiday we’d be wearing an inside-out unwashed t-shirt and sporting serious sunburn:
WALKING IN THE WOODS
They’re on the home stretch now — Harry and Meghan’s visit to the suspended walkways of Redwoods Treewalk Rotorua is their final official engagement of this royal tour. As royal correspondent Emily Andrews pointed out on Twitter, it’s engagement number SEVENTY SIX of the tour. We’re exhausted FOR them.
MEGHAN’S SPECIAL NECKLACE
For the final day of activities, Meghan dressed in a navy long-sleeved, knee-length Stella McCartney dress and Manolo Blahnik heels, with her hair pulled back into her trademark bun.
But it was her unique necklace which drew the most attention.
The large green stone — or Pounama — holds special meaning, as it’s only found in the South Island of New Zealand, and has spiritual significance.
The necklace is from leading Māori designer Kiri Nathan, and according to the brand’s website, “each piece holds its own mana (integrity, strength) denoting status and power”. Pounama is traditionally handed down as a valued heirloom or given as a gift to affirm relationships, peace, love and safe journeys.
It was given to the Duchess of Sussex by New Zealand’s Governor-General Patsy Reddy upon the royals’ arrival on Sunday.
HARRY GUSHES OVER NEW ZEALAND “JOY”
The first item on today’s itinerary was a pōwhiri — a Māori welcoming ceremony — at Te Papaiouru Marae, where Harry and Meghan were both given special cloaks.
During the ceremony, Harry delivered a heartwarming speech where he spoke of the “joys” of meeting “so many young New Zealanders” during their visit.
“There are creative, gifted and caring Te Aarawa Rangatahi (young people) here, who are using their talents to preserve and promote the Māori language, to support mental wellbeing, and to achieve in areas that will benefit their communities and their country,” he told the crowd.
Watch this. Just incredible. #royaltour pic.twitter.com/AuLfYBzJwl
— Ursula Heger (@ursulaheger) October 30, 2018
At one point during the speeches, a barefoot Meghan stood on stage, surrounded by others who had also taken off their shoes.
On their way into the dining hall for a luncheon, Harry and Meghan chatted with a long line of schoolkids who had been waiting patiently to get a glimpse of the royals.
The couple also met with 2014 MasterChef New Zealand winners Karena and Kasey Bird, who prepared the menu for the royals and other invited guests.
Following lunch, the royal entourage left the marae, headed for the Rainbow Springs Nature Park.
MEGHAN STUNNED BY OLD FRIEND
Meghan reacted with shock after spotting an old friend in the crowd during a public walkabout in New Zealand.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex — accompanied by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern — had just wrapped up their public walkabout on Tuesday and were about to leave the Viaduct Harbour in Auckland when the former Suits star noticed Hannah Sergel, 20, standing amid thousands of fans.
the wee “oh my god†when she realises it’s me ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ pic.twitter.com/aHOfAty6a1
— hannah (@bellisariho) October 30, 2018
Meghan’s jaw dropped and she doubled back, embracing Hannah whom she’d used to follow on Instagram before she deactivated her accounts.
“She said ‘thank you for getting in touch,’ and then she gave me a hug and said she would read my letter that I gave her,” Hannah told New Zealand’s 1 NEWS.
“I was friends with her on Instagram before she had to deactivate her account. We used to have conversations and stuff on there. She would tell me to do well at university and encourage me to be myself.”
Hannah added that it “means the world” to her that Meghan had recognised her.
“I am so shaky and flustered. When I first saw her, I cried,” she told the outlet afterwards.
To top it off, Hannah posted on Twitter a short time later that the prime minister had “DM’d” (direct messaged) her with a photo of the encounter.
She also admitted that Ms Ardern had to comfort her because she was “such a mess” after meeting Meghan.
she just sent me this photo of meghan noticing me... we are now best friends pic.twitter.com/2yvA9g1Giv
— hannah (@bellisariho) October 30, 2018
The prime minister has also clearly bonded with Meghan during their short time together, offering up gushing praise for the pregnant royal at a formal reception in Auckland last night.
Ms Ardern told Meghan she thought she was “incredible” for the way she’d handled the exhausting tour, which started more than two weeks ago.
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CHRIS LILLY’S HILARIOUS ROYAL “ENCOUNTER”
Australian comedian Chris Lilley, the man behind hit shows Summer Heights High and We Can Be Heroes, has hilariously revived one of his most popular characters in honour of the royal tour.
Lilley shared a fan-edited Instagram video of Ja’mie King — from mockumentary series Ja’mie: Private School Girl — doing an interpretative dance, spliced together with footage of Harry and Meghan watching a different performance during a visit to a school.
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were treated to a private performance by Ja’mie King,” he joked in the caption.
Originally published as Royal tour, day 16: Harry and Meghan tour New Zealand