‘Her Majesty would come down for lunch and we’d meet and then go off’
With her long and affectionate relationship with the royal family, it was only appropriate that Kiwi opera singer Dame Kiri Te Kanawa was present to farewell the Queen as part of the small official Kiwi contingent at Her Majesty’s funeral in London last month.
And the 78-year-old soprano has now shared some personal insights into her relationship with the royals, while reinforcing her hope that New Zealand remains a monarchy.
While her memorable performance at Charles and Diana’s wedding in 1981 put her – and New Zealand – firmly on the international map with a global audience of more than 600 million, she also enjoyed many other treasured times with the royals, away from the public eye. This included trips to the much-loved country retreat in Sandringham
