New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern receives a lady during an investiture at Windsor Castle today.
Prince William, 42, was the king who presented the honours, and his friendship with Jacinda, 44, was on full display as the two interacted.
Smiling widely in each other’s company, the two friends were photographed looking comfortable as the Prince of Wales placed the honor on his sash, near his waist.
The mother-of-one donned a long navy blue dress in a silky fabric, with short sleeves, a conservative scoop neckline and a generous slit.
She paired the dress with a pair of black heels. Meanwhile, her brunette locks were styled into a low bun, with two loose strands hanging on either side of her face.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (pictured left) receives a damehood during an investiture at Windsor Castle today.
Prince William (pictured, left) was the royal who presented the honours, and his friendship with Jacinda (pictured, right) was on full display as the two interacted, smiling throughout the event.
Meanwhile, Prince William looked dapper in a dress uniform and a pair of classic black oxford shoes.
Other honorees at today’s investiture, which saw 57 people recognised, included ultrarunner Jasmin Paris, 40, from Midlothian, who was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).
Veterinary professor Dr. Paris completed some of the toughest and most grueling races in the world.
She made history by becoming the first woman to complete the Barkley 100-mile Marathons in Tennessee in March of this year, just one of the
He crossed the finish line with 99 seconds to spare before the 60-hour limit. Dr Paris won the British Racing Championship at Fell in 2015 and again in 2018, and had previously held the record at the Bob Graham Round, a racing challenge in the Lakes area, and the Ramsay Round near Fort William.
As well as running, Dr Paris is a senior lecturer in small animal medicine at the University of Edinburgh and a mother of two.
Former sports minister Tracey Crouch, who led a review of football governance in the wake of proposals for a breakaway European Super League, was also given dame treatment.
Former senior aide to the Prince of Wales, Jean-Christophe Gray, has been appointed Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO).
FRIENDS: The couple have shown their close bond before, when Prince William (pictured, left) greeted Jacinda (pictured, right) with a traditional Maori nose tap called hongi during a two-day visit to New Zealand in 2019.
She joined William in 2021, a year after Megxit, and was on site during the launch of the prince’s Homewards project to address homelessness and his transition as heir to the throne following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
His departure from Kensington Palace earlier this year followed news that the Welsh were planning to restructure their household with a new chief executive.
The closeness shown today by the royal and the former New Zealand prime minister is not the first time their friendly bond has been caught on camera.
In 2019, during a two-day visit to New Zealand, the prince marked Anzac Day.
The then-duke, who cut a somber figure and wore a navy suit during the ceremony at Auckland’s War Memorial Museum, was joined by then-Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
William greeted Jacinda with a traditional Maori nose tap called a hongi.
Jacinda was reportedly appointed Dame Grand Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2023 King’s Birthday Honors for her services to the state.
The appointment came just months after her surprise resignation as prime minister.
Jacinda Ardern (pictured, left) was one of 57 people recognized today at the investiture ceremony.
The former Prime Minister of New Zealand (pictured, right) issued a statement ahead of today’s event, saying it would be a “truly special day”.
Its official citation listed its response to the Covid-19 pandemic, “positioning New Zealand as having one of the lowest Covid-19 related mortality rates in the Western world.”
He also listed his leadership in response to the March 15 terrorist attacks.
In a statement ahead of today’s ceremony, the former prime minister said: “It will be a truly special day, but amidst all this, I will think of home.”
“For me, accepting an honor is a way to thank my family, those with whom I worked, and all the people who supported me in taking on a role that will always be the greatest privilege of my life.”
She added that her family would be joining her for the event, as well as Whaea Esther Jessop from the London Māori club Ngāti Ranana, who had allowed her to wear one of their ceremonial watches (called kākahu) for the ceremony.