On September 11, 2024, King Charles III received the New Zealand women’s rugby team at Buckingham Palace. The rugbywomen threw themselves at the sovereign to embrace him, after receiving permission to break protocol. King Charles had invited the Black Ferns to an audience at Buckingham Palace, a few days before their match against the Red Roses.
Read also: King Charles III cries with laughter at traditional Scottish games in Braemer on the eve of his regnal anniversary
King Charles III accepts a group hug from the Black Ferns
In New Zealand, the Black Ferns are real stars, like their male counterparts, the All Blacks. The Black Ferns, which means “black ferns”, are the players of the New Zealand national rugby team. They arrived this Wednesday in the United Kingdom, a few days before their big match, in order to acclimatize and adapt to the time difference. On Saturday, they will play a match against the Red Roses, the English national team, at Twickenham Stadium.
Read also: Adventurer in New Zealand and homebody with his family in France, Count Nikolai marks his 25th birthday with these two photos
On September 11, King Charles III invited New Zealand’s sportswomen to an audience to welcome them to London as they deserve. King Charles III will have his heart torn in two this Saturday, not knowing who to support. Charles is both King of the United Kingdom and King of New Zealand. Rugby superstar Ayesha Leti-I’iga kissed her sovereign and then asked the king if he would agree to a “hug”, or an embrace.
Read also: Coronation of the new Maori queen who succeeds her father
A spontaneous encounter that breaks protocol and provokes laughter from Charles III
The group hug turned into a scrum around the 75-year-old monarch. King Charles laughed out loud at the spontaneity of the players who were not afraid to break protocol. They also took a selfie with the King, which they then posted on their social networks. The players also sang a songa traditional Maori song, for the sovereign.
It takes more than that to upset King Charles, who is very comfortable with the spontaneous outbursts of his guests. According to Sky News, at the end of the meeting, the New Zealand head of state improvised a short speech: “I really appreciated this chance to meet you and to have such a warm hug from most of you.”
