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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle receive traditional Maori welcome in New Zealand

Hongi: The Duchess of Sussex receives the traditional Maori greeting at an official welcome ceremony at Government House in Wellington, New Zealand (Picture: PADominic Lipinski/PA Wire )

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were given a traditional Maori greeting as they arrived in New Zealand - rubbing noses with Maori elders as they received a hongi.

Meghan and Harry were welcomed to the country with a powhiri - a ceremony involving singing and dancing - at Government House in Wellington.

Members of the New Zealand Defence Force performed a haka, a traditional dance, and a 21-gun salute rang out to mark the occasion.

The royal couple touched down in New Zealand from Sydney on Sunday for the last stop on their 16-day tour.

Meghan was sporting an ASOS maternity wear dress and Karen Walker trench coat.

The royal couple meet the crowds in Wellington (Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire )

As well as Wellington, the duke and duchess will also visit Auckland and Rotorua over the next four days.

As well as the hongis at the official welcoming ceremony, Harry also received and accepted a challenge from a Maori warrior.

The couple went on to the UK war memorial and Pukeahu National War Memorial Park, laying palm fronds on the tomb of the Unknown Soldier during a moving ceremony.

They also went on a walkabout through the crowd, even posing for a selfie with two 10-year-olds, Sophie Hubbard and Hope Watson.

Harry was given a woollen version of iconic New Zealand toy the Buzzy Bee (Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire)

Prince Harry was also given a woollen Buzzy Bee. The wooden original is an iconic Kiwi toy and his brother William was given one when he visited New Zealand as a baby with Prince Charles and Princess Diana.

The couple have already visited Fiji and Tonga on the marathon trip, and closed the Invictus Games in Sydney on Saturday night .

At the ceremony, the duke said the performances from the competitors from 18 nations had been humbling and inspiring.

He said: "They are men and women who have confronted a challenge and overcome it. They are ordinary people doing extraordinary things. And with the help of their friends and families, they have exceeded every expectation.

"That is something we can all aspire to. You do not have to be a veteran who has fought back from injury to be inspired by the Invictus example.

"You can be a teacher or a doctor, a mum or a dad, a child or a grandparent, a farmer, a plumber, a lawyer, or a CEO. Or anything at all.

"You can identify something in your own life that you want to change for the better. And you can let the men and women of the Invictus Games remind you that no challenge is too difficult to overcome."

  • Additional reporting by the Press Association
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