- New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern presided over a state memorial service for Queen Elizabeth II.
- Hundreds gathered to watch the service in Wellington, the nation’s capital.
- Memorial ceremonies will be performed all around New Zealand for the monarch’s abdication.
SYDNEY: New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern presided over a state memorial service for Queen Elizabeth II on Monday, noting that the Pacific region had “a deep relationship” with the late monarch.
The formal memorial service began behind closed doors at the Cathedral of Saint Paul, where hundreds gathered to watch it on screens placed on the grounds of the Parliament in Wellington, the nation’s capital.
As Ardern read passages from a souvenir book about the Queen’s trip from December 1953 to January 1954, the first of her ten visits to the nation, she said,”Today, we have gathered to acknowledge the deep connection New Zealand has had to her late majesty the Queen for more than 70 years, a connection grounded on her first visit in 1953.”
She read from the book about the late queen’s departure in 1954: “As the great white ship moved slowly through the channel, crowds ran along marine parade keeping abreast of her, everyone cheering, many weeping, reluctant to give up their waving until the answering white-gloved hand could be seen no longer.”
Additionally, memorial ceremonies will be performed all around the nation, notably in Auckland, the largest metropolis, where the queen will be honoured by the lighting of the city’s notable monuments in the colour purple.
One of the 15 nations holding the British monarch as head of state is New Zealand, however the position is mostly ceremonial.
The British monarch’s abdication has revived republican discussions. Although she anticipates the nation will eventually become a republic in her lifetime, Ardern stated earlier this month that there are no immediate preparations for the country to do so.
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