Royals receive Tonga welcome
NUKU’ALOFA, Tonga — The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived Thursday in the tiny Pacific kingdom of Tonga, where people gathered at the airport to welcome them wearing traditional outfits, playing guitars and singing.
Prince Harry and wife Meghan were greeted by Princess Angelika Latufuipeka. They were later scheduled to meet with Tonga’s king and queen and to attend a reception and dinner featuring traditional Tongan entertainment. Meghan stepped off the plane wearing a red dress while Harry wore a light beige suit.
The couple is on the 10th day of a 16-day tour of the South Pacific. They arrived in Tonga from Fiji, where on Thursday morning they unveiled a statue to honour Sgt. Talaiasi Labalaba, a British-Fijian war hero who died at age 30 while fighting insurgents during the 1972 Battle of Mirbat in Oman.
Labalaba helped save other soldiers by single-handedly firing a 25-pound gun that usually took several soldiers to operate, according to the BBC.
On Wednesday, Meghan, who is four months pregnant, was rushed through an indoor market in Fiji where crowds arrived to greet her and gave a speech about attending university.
Harry and Meghan have a relatively light schedule in Tonga before they return to Sydney on Friday night for the final days of the Invictus Games.
After Australia, the couple will finish their trip with a four-day visit to New Zealand.