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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex wished New Zealanders a happy ‘Waitangi Day’ as they celebrated the public holiday which marked the signing of a treaty between Maori chiefs and the British Crown in 1840.
Prince Harry, 35, and Meghan, 38, who are currently in Canada, posted a message to their @SussexRoyal account this evening, along with five snaps from their tour of the country in October 2018.
The couple shared the message marking the commonwealth country’s national holiday despite giving up royal duties and stepping down from life in The Firm last month.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex said in their post that they wanted to mark the ‘honour and diversity’ of New Zealand.
The Queen, 93, Prince Charles, 71 and Camilla, 72, Prince William, 37, and Kate, 38, also all shared messages to celebrate the national holiday.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (pictured) have ‘sent their best wishes’ to the people of New Zealand as the nation celebrates Waitangi Day
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (pictured), who are currently in Canada after stepping back from their royal duties, shared the message on their Sussex Royal account this evening
Harry and Meghan’s post (above) read: ‘To all of our Kiwi followers, sending our very best to each of you on Waitangi Day,’
Taking to their Instagram account second – pipped to the post only by the Queen’s social media platform – Meghan and Harry shared several images from their 2018 tour, which they referenced as a ‘special time’.
The couple had announced they were expecting their son Archie shortly before visiting the commonwealth country.
Photographs included in the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Instagram post showed Meghan and Harry speaking to locals and wearing traditional Maori cloaks.
Their full caption marking the holiday read: ‘To all of our Kiwi followers, sending our very best to each of you on Waitangi Day.
Kensington Palace, Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton’s Instagram account shared several photos (pictured) of the couple in New Zealand
Kensington Royal’s platform said the couple were sending their ‘best wishes to all our followers in New Zealand’
Prince William and Kate during a visit to New Zealand. They have wished a happy Waitangi Day to their followers today
Kate speaks to school children during a tour of New Zealand. Kate and William said: ‘Sending our best wishes to all of our followers in New Zealand.’
‘As a commonwealth country and a realm, today we honour the spirit and diversity of New Zealand, and we feel particularly reminded of the special time we had there during our tour in 2018.
‘The Duke and Duchess send their best wishes to all the people of New Zealand.’
The post – which quickly racked up thousands of likes within minutes – also shared a saying in Maori, which roughly translated to the Duke and Duchess ‘extending their heartfelt thanks to all New Zealanders’.
Prince Harry and Meghan officially stepped back from life in the royal family last month, and are now residing in an opulent £10million ($14million) Vancouver Island mansion.
The Prince of Wales and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, sport traditional Maori garments during a visit last year. Clarence House’s Instagram account shared the photo again toda
The Royal Family Instagram account shared this picture of the Queen sporting a Maori cloak
From the spring Harry and Meghan will stop using their HRH titles and withdraw from royal duties, including official military appointments.
However the couple will be allowed to maintain their private patronages and associations.
Kate and William – whose Instagram account now has the same amount of followers as Meghan and Harry’s, after previously being in front – also shared a message for those celebrating Waitangi Day.
Alongside pictures from their many visits to the nation, the couple said: ‘Sending our best wishes to all of our followers in New Zealand.’
The Queen’s social media account also shared a message for their New Zealand followers, writing: ‘Today, communities across new New Zealand will be marking Waitangi Day.
‘The national holiday commemorates the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, widely consider to be the document which founded modern New Zealand.’
Several photographs were showcased alongside the note, including one showing the Queen wearing the kiwi feather korowai (cloak) given to her for her Coronation in 1953 when in Christchurch in 2002.
The Queen as she is greeted by a Guard of Honour when arriving in Wellington in 2002
The Queen at the unveiling ceremony for the New Zealand War Memorial in London in 2006
Following in Kate and William’s footsteps, the Clarence House post showed Prince Charles receiving a traditional hongi greeting
The Duchess of Cornwall, 72, greets crowds in New Zealand during a tour of the country in November 2019
The Duke of Cornwall, 71, gently holds hands with a tiny baby when greeting wellwishers during his November 2019 tour of New Zealand
Another pictured Her Majesty welcoming the All Blacks to Buckingham Palace in 2007, while a third showed the Queen at the unveiling ceremony for the New Zealand War Memorial in London in 2006.
The final photo was of the Queen as she was greeted by a Guard of Honour when arriving in Wellington in 2002.
The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall also joined the Royal Family in wishing New Zealanders a happy Waitangi Day.
Following in Kate and William’s footsteps, the Clarence House post showed Prince Charles receiving a traditional hongi greeting.
It also captured Charles and Camilla in traditional garments as they met with locals during a tour in November 2019.
The post read: ‘Best wishes to all our New Zealand followers on Waitangi Day. Watch for highlights from The Prince and The Duchess’s #RoyalVisitNZ, including a pōwhiri at Waitangi Treaty Grounds, last year.
‘The Waitangi Treaty is regarded as New Zealand’s founding document, and enshrines the relationship between the Māori and the Crown.’
