Prince William and Kate Middleton thank New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern for her ‘support’
The Prince and Princess of Wales have thanked outgoing New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern for her support as she led the Commonwealth, especially after Queen Elizabeth’s death.
William and Kate took to their Kensington Royal Twitter account to share their gratitude to the politician, who announced last week that she would step down as leader, saying she had ‘nothing left in the tank’ and made her last public engagement today.
The message, signed by ‘W&C’, read: ‘Thank you Jacinda Ardern for your friendship, leadership and support over the years, not least at the time of my grandmother’s passing. I send you, Clarke and Neve our best wishes.’
The post referred to Clarke Gayford, the prime minister’s long-term partner and fiancée, and their daughter Neve Te Aroha, who was born in June 2018.
Prince William (pictured with a hongi salute from Jacinda Ardern in 2019) thanked Jacinda Ardern for her support after announcing she would step down
Prince William, his wife and Ms Ardern have met several times since taking office in 2017.
Their last official meeting came amid bleak times for the couple, as Jacinda traveled to the United Kingdom on September 19 to attend the funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
For the occasion, the politician wore a black dress with a custom feather Kākahu, a traditional cloak, made for the occasion by Maori designer Kiri Nathan.
The outfit, she said, was chosen because she wanted to bring a “piece of New Zealand” to the British funeral.
The Prince and Princess of Wales shared a heartfelt message, addressed to the Prime Minister of New Zealand, on their Twitter page
The New Zealand Prime Minister donned a Maori cloak during her latest public appearance, visiting a Maori settlement of Ratana in the North Island earlier today
Ms. Ardern also wore a royal-inspired hat created by local designer Monika Neuhauser.
Before the ceremony, the Kiwi leader met with King Charles for about ten minutes in what she described as a “really warm meeting.”
“What I can share is that it was a warm conversation, that the King very much appreciated New Zealand’s thoughts and the efforts that so many have made to pay their respects,” she told the New Zealand Herald on Tuesday. time.
Jacinda also met William, 40, last July when she visited this side of the ocean for the first time since the Covid 19 pandemic, introducing particularly strict travel restrictions.
Pictured: Ms Ardern, dressed in a bespoke feather Kākahu, a traditional cloak created for the occasion by Maori designer Kiri Nathan, at the late Queen’s funeral in September 2019
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is pictured with her fiancé, Clarke Gayford, on her way to the Queen’s funeral last September
The Duke of Cambridge was meeting with the Prime Minister of New Zealand at his royal residence, Kensington Palace in London at the time, and a photo of the meeting was released.
In April 2019, Prince William, 40, traveled to New Zealand for a solo visit where he commemorated Anzac Day.
On arrival, he was greeted by the prime minister with a traditional Maori greeting called a hongi.
During the visit, he also met survivors of the Christchurch terror attack, which had taken place just a month earlier and killed 51 people in two mosques in the city.
Attending the Anzac Day service, the Prince of Wales did not give a speech, but the Prime Minister spoke of how the event was a reminder of shared values in the wake of the terror attack.
“Let’s reconnect to always remember our shared humanity, that there is more that unites us than divides us,” she said.
“Our sense of independence is as strong as our sense of responsibility to each other and not just as nation-states but as people.”
Prince William laid a wreath on behalf of the Crown and The Last Post was then played before WWI and WWII planes flew overhead.
While there, he reflected on his own grief and loss after his mother’s death in 1997, saying, “I’ve had my own reason to reflect on grief, sudden pain, and loss in my own life.”
“What I’ve realized is that, of course, grief can change your outlook. You don’t forget the shock and the grief or the pain, but I don’t believe grief changes who you are.”
The Duke of Cambridge, who rarely speaks of his mother’s death, revealed how much of an impact the loss had on him at the time, when he was just 15 years old.
He said, “Grief, if you let it, will reveal who you are. It can reveal depths you didn’t know you had.
‘This is what happened here. An act of violence was meant to change New Zealand, but instead the grief of a nation revealed how deep your wellsprings of empathy, compassion, warmth and love really run.”
Prince William and Jacinda Ardern on his solo visit to New Zealand in 2019, where he took part in ANZAC ceremonies and visited the two mosques where a gunman killed 50 people in March that year
The Prime Minister and Prince William met at Kensington Palace during her visit over the summer, on her first trip to the UK since the Covid-19 pandemic
Jacinda Arden was one of the official attendees at the mosque at the time and welcomed Prince William to his visit.
William and Kate have always loved the country, with Governor General Dame Cindy Kiro last September saying they were ‘desperate’ to visit the country again.
“The Prince of Wales said he and the Princess of Wales would be desperate to get to New Zealand as soon as possible,” she said.
“But of course they have young children and we will have to see what happens.
“I can tell you, I think everyone loves New Zealand, and it’s good to be the governor-general of a country that everyone loves,” she added.
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