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A Tongan princess on Thursday received British Prince Harry and his wife Meghan upon their arrival in the tiny South Pacific nation, before heading to the capital as thousands of schoolchildren cheered and waved flags. .
British Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, arrive at the Fua Airport on the main Tongatapu Island in Tonga on October 25, 2018. REUTERS / Phil Noble
SYDNEY: A Tongan princess received on Thursday the British prince Harry and his wife Meghan upon their arrival in the tiny South Pacific nation, before going to the capital in front of thousands of students who applauded and waved flags.
Princess Lātūfuipeka Tuku'aho, King Tupou's eldest daughter, shook hands and bowed to Harry, dressed in a beige linen suit and Meghan, who wore a long-sleeved red dress the color of the Tongan flag, with a visible label at the hem.
"How do you like us, Meghan? Oh, let's count the ways," said Twitter user Talita Kefu of San Mateo, California, in a message posted on the social network.
"Thank you for putting on our national colors."
The dancers in skirts and necklaces woven with red flowers and feathers in their hair sang and applauded to welcome the royal couple in the Polynesian kingdom, composed of 170 mostly uninhabited islands.
Balloons and red and white banners punctuated their processional route to Nuku 'alofa, the capital, while schoolchildren in red and white uniforms waved small British flags and plastic tongans and applauded enthusiastically. .
Tonga is the only sovereign constitutional monarchy in Oceania to retain its own royal family, while other constitutional monarchies in the region, such as Australia and New Zealand, recognize Queen Elizabeth, Great Britain, the head of their state.
The couple dined with Tupou on Friday during a hearing before Prime Minister Akilisi Pōhiva, who briefly found himself at the center of a diplomatic storm in August, when he called China to cancel the growing debt in the region.
Tonga is one of seven South Pacific island countries owed to China, which is strengthening its influence in the region.
The visit of the British royal couple, who announced last week that she is expecting a child, follows a visit to Fiji and Australia, where they will return for the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games in Sydney, before taking end in New Zealand.
(Kate Ashton report, edited by Clarence Fernandez)
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