Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, have held a secret meeting.
Royal correspondent Omid Scobie has revealed on Twitter that the two women met secretly at Kensington Palace on Monday.
Ardern is in the UK holding talks with British Prime Minister Theresa May to secure a post-Brexit trade agreement, before heading to Switzerland to attend the World Economic Forum.
In between meetings she found time to catch up with the Duchess, who she hosted when Meghan and Prince Harry visited New Zealand on their royal tour of NZ, Australia, Fiji and Tonga in October last year.
“Duchess Meghan and New Zealand Prime Minister @jacindaardern had a private meeting today at Kensington Palace,” Scobie tweeted this morning.
Scobie said a “source” revealed that Meghan “was pleased to have the chance to thank the PM for the wonderful hospitality [she and Harry] received from the people of New Zealand last year.”
He followed this tweet with a second one that said, “Enjoyed chatting with Jacinda on the tour. She came away from her time with Harry and Meghan impressed, telling me: “The Duke and Duchess are both very warm people… They really care about the work they do, they take their service seriously and I have a lot of respect for that.”
Ardern spent time with Meghan and Harry in both Wellington and Auckland when the royal newlyweds were in New Zealand, and the three clearly hit it off.
In one Instagram post Ardern cheekily shared an image of herself handing the couple a Christmas decoration during their royal walkabout at Auckland’s viaduct.
“For anyone today at the meet and greet who asked me to pass on something (like a Christmas decoration) to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, here is proof that I did! Thanks to everyone who has shown our guests such hospitality and kindness. You’ve more than made up for the weather.”
Ardern greeted the couple warmly when they arrived in Wellington to begin their royal tour of New Zealand on October 28, 2018.
The trio spent time together at Government House, where the Duchess impressed NZers with her attempts at speaking Te Reo during a dinner to celebrate 125 years of suffrage in New Zealand.
.jpg)