Jacinda Ardern granted royal honour by Prince William

October 17, 2024 journo

Former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern has been officially made a dame in a ceremony in the UK.

She was appointed a Dame Grand Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2023 King’s Birthday Honours for her services to the state, a few months after her shock resignation as prime minister.

Last week it was announced she would formally receive her damehood from Prince William at a ceremony in Windsor Castle in London.

In a social media post, Prince William and wife Catherine called her a friend and an extraordinary advocate.

“It was a privilege to present you with this deserved award at Windsor today!” he wrote

In a video accompanying the post, Dame Jacinda described it as a huge honour.

“I feel really humbled by the chance to be here with my family, and really I see it as an acknowledgement of them and of every person I worked with, and of every person who’s supported me, and that includes a very large number of New Zealanders.”

Dame Jacinda was in the UK for a meeting of the prince’s Earthshot Prize, of which she is a trustee.

The movement behind the prize was just as important, she said.

“About telling every single person out there that we don’t have to wait, for this catastrophe to happen to us, that there are things we can do and that are being done.”

This story was originally published by Radio New Zealand.