Back in October of last year, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were moving through their wildly successful South Pacific tour. They spent several days in New Zealand, where they did several events with New Zealand’s young prime minister Jacinda Ardern. Meghan and Prime Minister Arden are close in age and it just felt like they got along very well. Meghan highlighted several charities and programs close to Ardern’s heart in New Zealand too. Strengthening commonwealth ties and all of that. Well, Prime Minister Ardern is currently on an official visit to the UK, and in addition to stopping by Downing Street, it looks like Prime Minister Ardern also stopped by Kensington Palace to have a private meeting with Meghan:
Monday is a holiday for Americans, but Meghan Markle was busy with royal duties. The mom-to-be, whose first first child with Prince Harry is due in late April, had a private meeting with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at Kensington Palace on Monday. According to TVNZ reporter Joy Reid, the visit was to “recognize their recent successful visit to [New Zealand]” during the couple’s royal tour of Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand in October.
While in New Zealand, Meghan and Ardern teamed up for a number of events. The prime minister was on hand to greet the couple when they arrived at the Wellington International Airport Military Terminal, then spent time with them later that night during a welcome reception at the Government House in Wellington.
A “private meeting” you say? That’s interesting. It’s also interesting that there’s no mention of Harry or anyone else at this meeting. Harry is the Commonwealth Youth Ambassador, and Prince William and Kate Will Be King And Queen, as their fans tell us so often. Why weren’t they trying to meet with a prime minister of a British commonwealth country? And why weren’t there photos of Ardern and Meghan?!?! I want to see them hanging out and talking about feminism!
Photos courtesy of Backgrid.
Man I’m so glad we’re finally starting to see some nice things about Meghan in the press. That tea with her makeup/artist friend showed that she does have some people she’s worked with who continue to like her and the meeting with the Prime Minister shows that she has an ability to connect with people (and likely has some really good ideas). I’m happy for her – and that some are recognizing her work ethic and embracing it.
You are right, I’m also glad that the newscycle is slowly turning around, and we are getting good and positive news about Meghan.
Thia meeting with Jacinda, is really interesting and shows the level of commitment Meghan has with her charities.
Yep – that Instagram post from her friend-makeup artist was a work of PR genius. I hope this is a sign of what’s to come in terms of Megan’s PR moving forward – bye bye poor Jason.
William is meeting with her today at Davos.
Not sure how this will go over with the British public. Remember Prince Charles and the spider memos? Idk, I’ve always like Meghan but I really feel she’s making a lot of missteps.
The spider memos were about Charles inserting himself into political issues. There is no indication that Meghan is doing that. In fact, because the meeting was not photographed leads me to believe that this was two women who became friendly having a private meeting and catching up and chatting for a bit. If William and Harry can have friends that are political figures as well then so can Meghan.
Why is this a misstep?
Meghan and Harry are working for the Queen by representing her in the commonwealth. I think it’s great that a Prime Minster of one of those countries took time out of her schedule to make sure she had time with Meghan.
This shows that Meghan represented the BRF well when she was in NZ.
I don’t see a scandal. This sounds like a friendly meeting between two people who enjoyed meeting each other a few months ago. She is in town, why not stop in to say hello?
How is this different than when Obama stopped by to have a meeting with Kate, William, & Harry when he was in London a couple of years ago? Was that a misstep as well?
I do find it slightly worrying that nobody can tell if this was a completely private visit (private friendship?) or if there are official projects of some kind which the public should know about (transparency of government and of the head of state’s family).
I’ll take “private-friendship-hence-no-public-pix” for 1000, sunny.
NOTE TO CB:
You NEEEEED to hv some emoji options! Id love to insert rolled eyes here ^
PS to Sunny: Given that much of what the royal family does is NOT subject to the public “right to know” then Meghan’s meeting with the NZ PM could very well fall into that category. Whats more likely, however, is that what they met to talk abt has nothing to do with their respective jobs and everything to do with the personal friendship theyve developed; OR it could be a mixture of both public business (with due-course announcement) and private friendship.
I read that this was Meghan’s first solo meeting with a Head of State, implying that although it was private it was officially sanctioned and part of the New Zealand Premier’s official programme.
It is obvious that these two women hit it off and that the meeting was to discuss outcomes and initiatives from the recent tour. Meghan is taking her new role seriously she wants to work.
That’s the point. Meghan is meeting a friend not to insert political view. Cue the outrage of the consort not knowing her place. Does Kate have friends in politics?
Good on the two ladies meeting up. It seemed like they got on well during the tour so I am not surprised by that at all. Also shows how far Meghan has come in her 8 months as a royal.
They seem to have really hit it off in New Zealand she gave Meghan some earrings and at one point the PM took a fan’s camera to take a picture of Meghan and a that fan so that’s how comfortable they were.
I’m so glad you covered this. When I heard about it last night, it made me smile. Meghan really seemed to impress Ardern while on tour, so it was nice to get confirmation that it was real and not just political smoozing.
Hmm this reminds me of when she met Michelle Obama. I think Meghan takes advantage of her platform to advance her own interests. This probably violates some sort of protocol and it isn’t appreciated behind closed doors. Kate wouldn’t have done this, for example. That said, I think Meghan is doing the right thing. Royals actually do have power and they should use it towards meaningful change, women and climate especially, these causes CANNOT wait. I hope she succeeds.
Wow that’s a lot of assumption. Last time I checked Michelle Obama holds no political office and this throwing around of the word “protocol” as a catch all phrase needs to stop. Especially since there is literally no protocol to stop royals from meeting with people in private. The PM and Meghan hit it off on the tour and there’s no indication that this was anything more than a private visit between two women who have become friendly.
There I no proof of any meeting just rumours that are unsubstantiated
This is utter nonsense. What did she do when she met Michelle Obama? The only details reported were that they met backstage. And as for this being a violation of the sacrosanct “protocol,” that can have several seats.
Yep. It does violate some sort of protocol. The protocol you created in your own head!
Lol
Lmao 😂 🤣
These two women connected in person in NZ after initial correspondence. They are continuing their friendship and collegial relationship with a private, in-person meeting. There are no protocol concerns here.
Kate wouldn’t have done this because she has no interest in the world around her. She certainly has no interest in befriending an interesting, intelligent woman who both works and has kids without taking years off.
Do you begrudge your friends of their deserved maternity leave, too? And what if Meghan takes her full leave? Will you suddenly be cooing over how great it is that she’s family oriented?
Comparing their first year – Meghan has worked five times harder than Kate Middleton did. And no, the Queen did not give Bill and Kate years off at the start of their marriage, they’re just lazy.
Deserved? Not going to begrudge maternity leave to someone who does the work prior to the leave, unlike Kate who never does.
My friends who took maternity have worked real jobs that go beyond 9 to 5 and they don’t have nannies to help raise their kids or housekeepers and cooks. They also went back to work full time and are balancing far more than Kate ever will.
What? Kate (and William) met Michelle (and Barack) Obama. There was a small photo-op, George appeared wearing his bathrobe, and the rest of the meeting took place behind closed doors. Meghan really can’t win. If there are photographs she’s accused of seeking attention, if there are no photographs she’s accused of political plotting. Also, the UK’s and NZ’s political interests are aligned. I’d be concerned if Meghan was meeting Asma Assad behind closed doors, but this is fine.
“…. meeting Asma Assad…. ” This made me laugh. You are so right!
Since when is Kate the standard by which we should measure a royal woman’s performance? Last I checked she only recently started taking her job seriously. If anything Meghan’s job performance so far makes Kate look lacking in comparison.
THIS!
Meghan is working closer to what Sophie has done. Anne is still a level to be reached but the only royal who has consistently failed to meet the standards others have set is Kate. It’s why the KP PR has to find one hundred ways to say keen.
I wasn’t implying that Meg should be the standard either by the way. The OP specifically compared the two them so that’s why I said it that way.
No, stop this. Your jumping to conclusions to cast the Duchess of Sussex in a bad light is bizarre and overdone. You don’t like her. Fine. But don’t make up stuff to justify your dislike.
You’re right, Kate wouldn’t have done Anything.
The royals will probably meet a lot of Commonwealth leaders in the months and years ahead because a few countries may want to dump them after Queen Elizabeth’s death. The taxpayers are tired of paying for their silly state visits and the whole thing is just terribly outdated.
Might be the cynic in me but i do feel like she is using a current status to meet and be in contact with people that her previous status didn’t allowed her to do. or was not on the level to do. She did try hard to be seen as that power player. From her current meeting with Michelle, to Oprah and the Clonney vacation. so yes I do think she is using her new status to be seen as this power player that she wanted to be but never really was before.
Seems like more than the cynic in you. Criticizing a prominent black woman for meeting with and establishing relationships with other world leaders during a turbulent time for the United Kingdom – undermining her role and painting her as self centered and grasping – that’s straight up racial. Not cynical.
first of all, stating she use her new status to meet certain people and want to be seen as one of the power player had nothing to do with her race, She is not the first one to do so in that family and she certainly will not be last. Just like the other use their status to get free vacation and fly on friends private jet. Her life before would not have giving the access to a prime minister, who i’m sure is busy running a country to come see her when she ask. So yes she is using her new status.
Her life before Harry literally did give her access to a prime minister. Of a bigger and more important country than New Zealand (sorry NZ, I love you and I’m very sorry about that horrid British tourist family).
Meghan operated in those circles in Canada, long before she met Harry. She was friends with Sophie Gregoire (Justin Trudeau’s wife) through her connections with Jessica Mulroney, who is herself a former PM’s daughter-in-law.
So I guess just any old person can roll up to a UN Women’s conference and say “hey, I want to give a speech so make some room for me on the list?”
😉
You realize that’s all in your own head, right? “To be seen as a power player”? I guess two intelligent women connected is just too bland so you created a fantacist narrative that makes her sound conniving. Misogynoir is alive and well on this thread.
I don’t really have a comment about Meg.
I just want to point out how badly PM May’s shoes clash with her jacket.
I was hoping someone would mention those shoes! I mean, the poor woman is having a tough time, but the shoes made me laugh.
Sadly, those shoes helped put her on the political map.
This is exactly the kind of meeting I would expect members of the BRF to take.
I can’t understand how anyone could find fault with her fostering a relationship with. Commonwealth leader.
ITA. Some of these comments are just ignorant. People worrying that she’s meeting with a national leader behind senior royals’ back; that’s she’s doing this for personal gain or interest; that a national leader, who wants to meet with her, shouldn’t do so and has no valid reason for doing so. The best one: Low-motivation Kate wouldn’t do it. So effing ridiculous. Best thing to come out reading this nonsense is a new acronym: WWKD.
As a NZer…. Jacinda also is balancing her amazing work as PM with being a new Mum, being under a microscope, and keeping focused on what you want while navigating politics. She would be the most brilliant person for Meghan to be talking to at this exact moment in time.
And also, if I was suddenly world famous… Oprah, Michelle, the Cloonys. That’s my list too.
Guys, I know I’m being a pedant, but no such thing as ‘british commonwealth. It’s just the commonwealth of nations – no need to add to the brit’s Self importance. #sorrynotsorry
A subset of the Commonwealth nations have the British monarch as their head of state, hence short form calling those countries British Commonwealth. Like Dutch Caribbean.