Prince William to attend Auckland War Memorial Museum Anzac civic service

Wednesday, 24 April 2019

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge is understood to be attending the Auckland War Memorial Museum Anzac civic service at 11am.

Prince William is expected to make an appearance at the Auckland War Memorial Museum Anzac service on the first day of his New Zealand visit.

The Duke of Cambridge will arrive in the country tomorrow to offer support to those affected by the Christchurch mosque shootings, on behalf of the Queen.

The Duchess of Cambridge beat her husband in a yacht race around the Waitematā Harbour, with assistance from Team New Zealand skipper Dean Barker, in 2014.

Many details of the visit have been kept under wraps for security reasons, because this will be the first British royal to visit while the country is under a high-level terror alert.

However, Stuff understands the Duke will make an appearance at the Auckland War Memorial Museum civic service at 11am to pay his respects to Anzac veterans.

Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall greet fans during a walk around Aotea Square in 2015.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex compete in a gumboot throwing competition following a ceremony to dedicate a 20-hectare area of native bush to the Queen's Commonwealth Canopy in Auckland last year.

* Photo essay: A look back at royal visits in New Zealand

* Security big factor in plans for Prince William visit to New Zealand**

Prince William last visited Auckland with wife Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge and nine-month-old Prince George in April, 2014. The trip cost the New Zealand tax payer $1.03 million.

With assistance from Team New Zealand skipper Dean Barker and manager Grant Dalton, the Duke and Duchess took to the Waitematā Harbour for a yacht race. However, it appeared the Duke lacked the nautical nous of Kate and Barker, who beat them 2-0.

'We were sabotaged,' he said at the time.

Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, visited Auckland in November 2015, and were accompanied by then-Mayor Len Brown at the Town Hall, where they met with two charities that focus on young people and their families.

The prince met a group of Nga Rangatahi mentors, including singer Anika Moa and actress Teuila Blakely, and their young 'mentees', while Camilla was shown behind the scenes of Bellyful, which helped new mothers by delivering hot meals.

Prince Harry visited New Zealand in May 2015, his first trip to New Zealand, where he met with students from Mangere's Southern Cross Campus, Middlemore Hospital's spinal rehabilitation unit, and Ōtara youth programme Turn Your Life Around, which helped at-risk youth turn their lives around.

More recently, Harry and Meghan - formally referred to as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex - visited in October last year at a cost of $1m to the New Zealand taxpayer.

The couple delighted Pinehill School children with a gumboot tossing competition at the North Shore Riding Club - where Harry was shown up by his wife who lobbed her boot a metre further than his.

After planting some native trees for the Commonwealth Canopy - a puriri for the Harry and a kowhai for Meghan - the pair met with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at Pillars, a charity supporting the children of prisoners.

The charity received $5000 from the New Zealand Government in lieu of a wedding gift from the couple's wedding five months earlier.