sara1981
Heir Apparent
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ROYAL ARCHIVE
http://www.royalarchive.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=878&Itemid=2
Kiwi Delights Awaiting 'Excited' William on Lions trip to New Zealand Written by Angelina Monday, 20 June 2005
Prince William will come face to face with the All Blacks when he visits New Zealand, it was announced today.
The second in line to the throne, who is joining the British Lions on tour next week, will fly to meet their fearsome Kiwi rivals in Auckland during his stay.
William, who celebrates his 23rd birthday tomorrow, spoke of his excitement ahead of his travels.
He is also planning to visit Queenstown, the self-styled outdoor adventure capital on the south island where bungy jumping, canyon swinging, river surfing, white-water rafting and skiing are all on offer.
The Prince said: "I am really excited about going to New Zealand.
"As a huge rugby fan, I cannot think of a better place to watch what will hopefully be a hard-fought and exciting Test series.
"But I am also very much looking forward to meeting people outside of rugby and enjoying some of the breathtaking scenery for which New Zealand is so justly renowned."
Two days of his week-and-a-half long trip will be spent privately.
Clarence House said William would use this time to enjoy "the outdoor pursuits for which New Zealand is well-known".
William will also stay privately on a farm and visit a "marae" - a sacred Maori tribal home - to learn about New Zealand culture.
Visitors entering a marae are greeted with a welcoming ritual - a pressing of noses and symbolic exchange of breath known as the hongi.
In New Zealand, William will carry out his first solo public engagement, signalling a shift in his role within the royal family.
On behalf of the Queen, he will mark the 60th anniversary of the end of Second World War by meeting veterans and laying a wreath at the National War Memorial in Wellington on Sunday July 3 and at the Cenotaph in Auckland on VE/VJ Day, Sunday July 10.
William paid tribute to New Zealand's courageous former soldiers ahead of the events, saying: "It will be a privilege and honour to meet some Second World War veterans, whose bravery our generation must never forget."
William, who graduates from St Andrews this week, arrives in Wellington on June 30.
The country's media is already predicting that more people will turn out to catch a glimpse of William during his stay than gathered to see his father, the Prince of Wales, on his official tour earlier this year.
Even Prime Minister Helen Clark seems enamoured with the young royal.
"Prince William is a popular and engaging young man and his visit will attract a lot of interest," she has declared.
As well as taking part in training sessions with the Lions and watching the second and third tests against the All Blacks, William will visit a primary school in Arrowtown near Queenstown and open a water polo competition near Auckland.
William, who is travelling without girlfriend Kate Middleton, was invited to support the British Lions tour by coach Sir Clive Woodward.
This will not be the first time William has visited the Pacific Ocean islands.
Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, broke with precedent by taking him on a royal tour of Australia and New Zealand when he was just nine-months-old.
http://www.royalarchive.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=878&Itemid=2
Kiwi Delights Awaiting 'Excited' William on Lions trip to New Zealand Written by Angelina Monday, 20 June 2005
The second in line to the throne, who is joining the British Lions on tour next week, will fly to meet their fearsome Kiwi rivals in Auckland during his stay.
William, who celebrates his 23rd birthday tomorrow, spoke of his excitement ahead of his travels.
He is also planning to visit Queenstown, the self-styled outdoor adventure capital on the south island where bungy jumping, canyon swinging, river surfing, white-water rafting and skiing are all on offer.
The Prince said: "I am really excited about going to New Zealand.
"As a huge rugby fan, I cannot think of a better place to watch what will hopefully be a hard-fought and exciting Test series.
"But I am also very much looking forward to meeting people outside of rugby and enjoying some of the breathtaking scenery for which New Zealand is so justly renowned."
Two days of his week-and-a-half long trip will be spent privately.
Clarence House said William would use this time to enjoy "the outdoor pursuits for which New Zealand is well-known".
William will also stay privately on a farm and visit a "marae" - a sacred Maori tribal home - to learn about New Zealand culture.
Visitors entering a marae are greeted with a welcoming ritual - a pressing of noses and symbolic exchange of breath known as the hongi.
In New Zealand, William will carry out his first solo public engagement, signalling a shift in his role within the royal family.
On behalf of the Queen, he will mark the 60th anniversary of the end of Second World War by meeting veterans and laying a wreath at the National War Memorial in Wellington on Sunday July 3 and at the Cenotaph in Auckland on VE/VJ Day, Sunday July 10.
William paid tribute to New Zealand's courageous former soldiers ahead of the events, saying: "It will be a privilege and honour to meet some Second World War veterans, whose bravery our generation must never forget."
William, who graduates from St Andrews this week, arrives in Wellington on June 30.
The country's media is already predicting that more people will turn out to catch a glimpse of William during his stay than gathered to see his father, the Prince of Wales, on his official tour earlier this year.
Even Prime Minister Helen Clark seems enamoured with the young royal.
"Prince William is a popular and engaging young man and his visit will attract a lot of interest," she has declared.
As well as taking part in training sessions with the Lions and watching the second and third tests against the All Blacks, William will visit a primary school in Arrowtown near Queenstown and open a water polo competition near Auckland.
William, who is travelling without girlfriend Kate Middleton, was invited to support the British Lions tour by coach Sir Clive Woodward.
This will not be the first time William has visited the Pacific Ocean islands.
Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, broke with precedent by taking him on a royal tour of Australia and New Zealand when he was just nine-months-old.