"Te Arikinui Kuini Ngaru Waihono i te Po," the Māori Queen of New Zealand, met King Charles III for the first time since his accession after her father's death in 2024.
On 15 May 2026 GMT+7, foreign news agencies reported that Her Majesty Te Arikinui Kuini Ngaru Waihono i te Po, the Māori Queen of New Zealand, paid a visit to King Charles III at Buckingham Palace in London. This was their first meeting since she ascended to the throne in 2024 following the death of her father, King Tuheitia.
This meeting served to strengthen the relationship between the indigenous Māori people and the British royal family and symbolized the nearly 200-year-old ties rooted in the Treaty of Waitangi, one of New Zealand's founding documents.
A spokesperson for the Māori Queen revealed that the two leaders held warm and sincere discussions, including the passing of the former Māori king and ways to enhance the future relationship between the British monarchy and the Māori community.
Earlier, the Māori Queen was welcomed by Prince William at Windsor Castle. The Prince of Wales posted on Instagram expressing his pleasure at meeting the Queen.
A statement from the Kingi Tūngā Institute, the Māori royal institution, said the Māori Queen discussed various global issues with Prince William, emphasizing the importance of indigenous wisdom and intergenerational care of the earth to help solve environmental and social problems worldwide.
Her Majesty Te Arikinui Kuini Ngaru Waihono i te Po ascended as the second Māori Queen in 2024, succeeding her grandmother, Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu. The Māori monarchy institution originated in the 19th century when several Māori tribes united to establish a central leadership resembling a European-style monarchy to protect their lands from British colonial takeover and preserve Māori culture. Today, the role of the Māori king or queen is largely symbolic and cultural.
Source: BBC