Prince Harry and Meghan conclude their Auckland tour with a multicultural reception



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Prince Harry and Meghan were seduced by a cultural show and by the fresh minded intellectuals of youth leaders at a reception organized tonight.

Members of the Royal Family were warmly welcomed at the reception hosted by the Prime Minister at the Auckland War Memorial Museum, with cultural performances of the Auckland Pasifika community.

MCs asked the guests – who were mostly young leaders who made a significant contribution to the community – not to give gifts to the royal family or take photos.

Premier Jacinda Ardern wore a set of kiwi designer Kiri Nathan, while the duchess wore Antonio Berardi.

Ms. Ardern began her speech in a range of Pasifika languages ​​and invited members of the Royal Family to "take a seat in the long white cloud, where a little rain tends to fall".

Learn more about the coverage of King's visit to New Zealand by RNZ:

About the Prince and the Duchess, she told the young, enthusiastic crowd, "You may think that you are here to meet them, but they are here to meet you."

Ms. Ardern thanked members of the Royal Family for their warmth and interest in mental health, saying "your willingness to speak openly is a powerful message".

Prince Harry hesitated his speech with a long list of greetings from Pasifika, who were applauded.

"It's really the first time I speak most of these languages, so I'm sorry if my accent is not good," he said.

He added that they both enjoyed their time in "one of the most diverse cities in the world".

"Auckland has been described as a multicultural melting pot by the sea. It's a mix of people, cultures and languages ​​that gives this city its unique identity."

He congratulated the Prime Minister for inviting the young guests whom he described as "referees of real change".

"It's incredibly inspiring to see you chart new paths, while remaining rooted in your language, culture and heritage," he said.

"Meghan and I have tremendous respect for you … your generation literally energizes the world and never stops fighting for what you believe in."

Take a look at the royal highlights of the day in pictures:

About the engagement of the morning, he joked, "hey, if you can call welly-wanging or gum-boot throw a sport! Maybe we should have a series of three tests and see who will come out winner."

After the speeches, the members of the royal family were treated to an energetic Pacific dance performance, which drew loud applause and shouts of joy among the guests.

Prince Harry stamped his feet and fingers all over his wife, while Mrs. Ardern shook her head. The trio made fun of cheeky dance moves and applauded.

The prince commented on how incredible the dancers were.

After the performance, they were greeted by a small group of young Aotearoa leaders.

Meghan asked the group what problems they were working on while her husband had praised them for "raising awareness of the issues that matter to you guys".

Joanna Ji, a 21-year-old jurist in Auckland, posed a candid question about colonialism and how the monarchy balanced its history with its relationship with New Zealand Indians.

"At first, it seemed a little elusive, so I reformulated my question and I'm happy with her answer," she said. "He made an analogy with the fact that his father was a big advocate of climate change when it was not conventional.

"He did not stop saying that we had to continue to be that voice and beat that drum." Meghan said about being the voice of the generation, Jacinda is a queen and she nodded to to show that it was an important question, like, continue, child, say what you think! "

Aucklanders rejoice after meeting members of the royal family: "It means the world to me"

Earlier in the day, the mild weather conditions of Auckland did not deter hundreds of people from traveling to the Viaduct to see the royal couple during their public walk.

The crowd is delighted by the arrival of the motorcade of Prince Harry and Meghan to North Wharf.

The Duchess came out wearing a beige pencil dress with a light brown coat and delicate high heels.

The couple shook hands with Auckland Mayor Phil Goff and Premier Jacinda Ardern upon their arrival.

Members of the royal family also greeted and chatted with the people heading for the wharf.

They received a number of gifts, including flowers, a small elephant toy, a pot of cooking pot, a knitted teddy bear and a baby hat, a kiwi plush and a black body All Blacks.

A young girl in the crowd was moved to tears when she handed a bouquet of flowers to the Duchess.

A small, far-sighted fan was invited through the fence by the Prince and offered the couple a tūī plush. Meghan knelt to greet her and talk about the toy.

Another nearby fan had Burger King's crown carried away by the wind, but the Duke kneeled to retrieve it.

He stopped to chat with a toddler holding a stuffed doll toy. He carried the toy to his ear to hear the noises he could make.

An elderly woman sitting on a walker was delighted to receive the Duke's greetings.

At one point, people in the crowd began to sing singing the Maori version of the national anthem.

One could hear the others screaming "Hey Harry" and "Loving Meghan".

The crowd also shocked the duchess by asking: "if Louis is really Litt" in tribute to his previous role in Suit.

The Duchess stopped to talk to a group of girls holding a sign saying, "We will skip the school for you".

Mark a royal selfie is quite rare. But a royal fan was lucky enough to get one at the Viaduct.

Just before leaving the viaduct, the duchess stopped in front of a woman in the crowd that she seemed to recognize.

Hannah Sergel told the media that the Duchess was following her on Instagram and that they had previously discussed it before, but that was their first meeting in person. She traveled from Christchurch for the event.

"She thanked me for putting her in touch with her, then she hugged me and told me that she would read my letter," she said. Ms. Sergel.

"I was friends with her on Instagram before she had to turn off her account." We had conversations and stuff there.

"She told me to do well at the university and encouraged me to be myself.

"It means the world to me, I'm so shaky and confused, when I saw her for the first time, I cried."

At the end of the walk, the couple walked along the platform towards the waiting car. When they walked hand in hand, we could see them laughing with Mrs. Ardern.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are currently attending a reception at the Auckland War Memorial Museum.

Visit of the pillars

Earlier this afternoon, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited a charity dedicated to supporting the children of prisoners through mentoring and home support programs.

In May, the couple asked that in lieu of wedding gifts, donations be made to charities. The New Zealand government donated $ 5,000 to Pillars, because of the couple's interest in programs to help vulnerable children.

Pillars, which celebrated its 30th anniversary this year, is the only New Zealand charity dedicated to supporting children of prisoners.

More than 23,000 New Zealand children have a parent in prison.

The royal couples were greeted with a karanga and were taken on a tour of the organization to learn more about what they do.

About 200 people, including children, their families, and Pillars supporters were eagerly awaiting the royal family's appearance in the auditorium.

At that time, the Duchess – dressed in a pale pink dress Brandon Maxwell and a Burberry jacket – received a bouquet of flowers from a girl dressed in a white dress .

The girl hid behind a chair after giving flowers to Meghan.

The prince approached her, squatted to say hello and squeezed her hand before she leaned behind the paws of the media.

There were enthusiastic whispers in the auditorium filled with children and their families as the royal couple entered.

Everyone was in unison while the two men were welcomed by the Pillars Committee.

Sir Pita Sharples welcomed the couple, Premier Jacinda Ardern and prayed. He encouraged the Duke and Duchess to return.

The crowd sang waiata, He Hōnore, in harmony.

Speaking at the event, Prince Harry said that he and his wife were delighted to be able to spend time with Pillars on their first trip to Auckland together.

He said that they had learned of the existence of the pillars – and of the work done – when the gift had been offered to them. With this money, Pillars has created four awards.

He added that thousands of children were affected and that without proper support, they were much more likely to spend time in jail.

"But now, children can have stability in times of crisis."

The pillars help break the cycle.

"It was a real pleasure to meet you and four winners, you are exceptional young people."

Prince Harry urged them to seize this opportunity to create a promising future.

"We could not be happier to support such a fantastic job Kia kaha!"

Meghan presented awards to four young adults.

They posed for photos and received a framed certificate.

The couple received a Pillars hoodie. The crowd screamed as Prince Harry lifted him up.

When the two men left the building, the kitchen door where a group of busy volunteers were preparing meals was opened and they shouted while the two men stopped to say hello.

Brothers and sisters Morgan, 18, and Orla Angi, 15, were rewarded for their leadership by Meghan. Ghianna, 6, said that she was shy in giving flowers to Meghan, but that they were both beautiful and smelled like daisies.

– RNZ / Pool

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