Prince William visits Government House

17 Jan 2010

His Royal Highness Prince William, as part of his three day visit to New Zealand, this evening attended a hangi dinner hosted by the Governor-General, Hon Sir Anand Satyanand at Government House Auckland.

The dinner included guests such as iconic Kiwi musicians Dave Dobbyn and Che Fu who provided entertainment during the course of the evening. Olympic medallist Mahe Drysdale and Paralympics medallist Cameron Leslie were among the guests attending.

The Prince and his Officials were each gifted a Kia Kaha shirt by the Governor-General which they wore at the ‘Pacifica’ themed hangi dinner. Photos are available by clicking here.

Earlier in the day, the Prince visited Eden Park to view developments at the ground in preparation for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. He also enjoyed an afternoon sailing on the Waitemata Harbour.

The Prince has a busy schedule during the rest of his visit which includes travelling to Wellington to officially open the new Supreme Court building, attending a barbeque at Premier House, hosted by the Prime Minister and a visit to Wellington Children’s Hospital.

The Prince last visited New Zealand in 2005 when he followed the British Lions' rugby tour. 

Following his visit to New Zealand, he will make an unofficial visit to Australia, his first to the country since he was nine months old when he accompanied the Prince and Princess of Wales on their official tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1983.

Prince William is the elder son of The Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales.  He was born on 21 June 1982, at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, London, and christened on 4 August 1982.

Prince William was educated at Eton College and St Andrews University in Scotland, where he graduated in 2005.  After a period of work experience, Prince William joined the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst as an Officer Cadet.  He was commissioned as an army officer in front of The Queen in December 2006 and joined the Household Cavalry (Blues and Royals) as a Second Lieutenant.  While still a Lieutenant in the Household Cavalry, Prince William is now training to be a search and rescue pilot with the Royal Air Force. 

To read the Prime Minister's press release announcing details of the visit, click here. 

To visit the Prince's website, click here.

To visit the British Monarchy website, click here. Back to Features