Auckland walkabout

Low temperatures and sideways rain did little to deter the thousands of royal fans who waited for hours in the hope of meeting Meghan and Harry on their walk around Viaduct Harbour. Long-time Auckland friends Nora and Di were amongst the crowd, bringing their granddaughters – who had made a brightly coloured sign reading “Kia Ora Meghan and Harry!” – down to the public event “They’re such a lovely pair,” Di said. “There are so many awful things in the world, but they’re so lovely. And they’re bringing up so many topics we don’t normally talk about, and making them acceptable.” Nora recalled seeing Princess Diana and Prince Charles when they came to New Zealand 35 years ago, and how special it had felt. “The royal family has been such a big part of our lives, right from when we were growing up and we had scrapbooks about them,” Di says. “And now we’re here with our grandchildren. It’s wonderful.” There were many young royal fans in the audience as well – including one sweet little girl wearing a paper crown, who slipped through the barriers to hold Meghan’s hand. Eight-year-old Meghan fan Yasmine Middleton – yes, that’s her actual surname – was thrilled to meet her heroine “because she stands up for women and what she thinks is right”.