Ardern meets British monarch
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has met the Queen – one of four of the 19 new Commonwealth leaders granted a private audience.
Ardern and her partner Clarke Gayford were hosted at Buckingham Palace on Thursday (yesterday, NZ time).
The pair chatted over tea and the Queen asked the prime minister how her day was going.
But once the doors had closed, their discussion would have been more in-depth.
Ardern would not comment in detail about what she discussed with the Queen – to do so would be ‘‘a break in protocol’’ – but said she felt ‘‘exceptionally lucky’’ to have had her time with the monarch.
‘‘I had a discussion with the Queen that mostly focused on New Zealand, she has a huge interest in how we’re recovering from the many and varied things we’ve been up against in recent times and, clearly, maintains great interest.’’
Ardern gave the Queen a gift – one that a member of the public had sent into her office just a couple of weeks ago, as well as some New Zealand food items.
‘‘It was a photo that was taken by a women, who is now in her late
70s but at the age of 14 took a photo of the Queen as she travelled through New Zealand in the early
1950s.
‘‘She was a student of Queen Margaret’s College and she had a little camera and took a beautiful shot.’’
The Queen gave New Zea- land two indi- vidual photo- graphs of her- self and the Duke of Edin- burgh Prince Phil- ip, which would take pride of place in the Beehive.
Ardern would not confirm if her pregnancy was a topic but said it was on her mind before the discussion. ‘‘Here is a remarkable leader who has conducted her life in the full view of the public and that has included raising her children, and there’s something to be admired in that.’’
A self-confessed Republican Ardern would not be drawn on whether New Zealand’s status as a constitutional monarchy was discussed.
‘‘But needless to say it was very warm and very focused on New Zealand,’’ Ardern said.
Ahead of her meeting, the Prime Minister was still considering whether to offer her condolences to the Queen for the loss of her last remaining corgi, Willow, at the weekend, but said the moment never felt right.
Ardern’s cat, Paddles, died last year, and she said she was touched when Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had some kind words for her. But she said it was also very soon after Willow was put down due to cancer, and raising it could be painful. Ardern would also attend the State Banquet at Buckingham Palace – the welcome dinner hosted by the Queen in the palace picture gallery. Ardern was also one of only two Commonwealth leaders to make a toast at the dinner.
She had been asked by the palace to make a toast to the Commonwealth, while Ghana would be toasting the Queen.
Our PM would be draped in a korowai from London-based Nga¯ ti Ra¯ nana and a specially designed maternity dress by Juliette Hogan. ‘‘I very thankfully have a friend in Juliette Hogan and she’s made a dress that will accommodate my front pack.’
It was expected that about 16 members of the royal family would attend the dinner. Ardern would be sitting with the leaders of Trinidad and Tobago and Sri Lanka.
Ardern is in London to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), a forum including 52 other nations. She has already met Prince Charles and Camilla, who hosted her and Gayford at Clarence House.