With all the excitement of watching the royal wedding we were expecting to come down from our high today and feel a bit low. But now we have something new to look forward to… Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are coming to New Zealand.
According to the Daily Mail a “major tour” of New Zealand, Australia, Fiji and Tonga is planned for October.
The trip is being discussed at the “highest level”, the Daily Mail has reported.
The Pacific tour will begin with a visit to Australia where the Invictus Games, for injured servicemen and women, is being held in Sydney in October. The Games are a passion project for Prince Harry, who launched the first Games in 2016. Last year’s Invictus Games in Toronto, Canada were also where the couple was first spotted together holding hands, sparking speculation about an imminent engagement.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at the Invictus Games, held last year in Canada.
From Australia the royal power couple, now known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, will travel to New Zealand, then Fiji and Tonga.
Prince Harry is said to love New Zealand and Meghan Markle fell in love with Aotearoa four years ago after taking a road trip around the South Island in 2014.
Meghan shared her campervanning adventures with her followers on her blog, The Tig, which she closed down last year, in what she called her “love letter to all things Kiwi”.
During her 10-day road trip she visited our southern tourist hotspots and finished off her holiday with four days on Waiheke Island in Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf.
Meghan was glowing in her praise, describing New Zealand as “undoubtedly spectacular,” “magical” and “one of the most beautiful countries in the world.”
She climbed glaciers, visited vineyards, swam with dolphins and even indulged in some good old Kiwi fish and chips washed down with Speights beer.
Meghan enjoys the view from her bach on Waiheke Island.
Of Queenstown Meghan said: “A stunning place to arrive, filled with endless adventure and standout restaurants such as Botswana Butcher and Vudu Restaurant and Larder… I relished the kindness of the people and the beauty of the land.”
Of Lake Wanaka: “Less touristy, and equally as beautiful as Queenstown… I delved in to some fly fishing, and tucked in to see a film at Cinema Paradiso (a precious and quirky little theater that serves fresh baked cookies for you to enjoy while seated on a hodge podge of sofas). A gem of a town where you quickly settle in and feel like a local.”
Meghan took the time to learn about the Māori legend behind Franz Josef glacier – Ka Roimata o Hinehukatere (‘The tears of Hinehukatere’) – which she described as “one of the most exceptional glaciers in the world”.
She also sang the praises of the Marlborough region, Kaikoura and Akaroa and Waiheke Island. Click here to read what she said about these parts of New Zealand.
Prince Harry and Meghan’s visits to New Zealand and Australia will be pivotal in helping to boost the popularity of the royals in the Southern Hemisphere. Harry’s father, Prince Charles, was recently approved as the next head of the Commonwealth.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were married on the weekend in a spectacular ceremony that saw Hollywood and British royalty unite. Among the celebrity guests were Oprah Winfrey – notably one of the first to arrive – George and Amal Clooney, Victoria and David Beckham and Prince Harry’s exes, Chelsy Davy and Cressida Bonas.
The royal couple have announced that they are delaying their honeymoon so they can return to work next week. It is anticipated that Meghan will join the Queen at the Chelsea Flower Show for the first time and make an appearance at one of her annual garden parties in the coming weeks.
The royals will also undertake short overseas visits before the start of the summer, including a two-day visit to Dublin.
With only five months until their visit, we can hardly wait!
