Royal Tour, Day 8: Meghan and Prince Harry wave goodbye to Oz — temporarily

MEGHAN Markle oozed Hollywood glamour in a full length blue dress as she attended a state banquet in Fiji with Prince Harry.

The Duchess of Sussex wore a cape gown by English brand SAFIYAA with the dress’s colour, Fijian blue, a nod to their host country.

The pregnant royal clutched her growing baby bump as she and Harry said hello to Fijian politician Maj Gen Jioji Konrote.

The former actor wore her hair out in loose curls and accessorised her outfit with diamond drop earrings thought to be loaned to her by the Queen.

Prince Harry looked dashing as he accompanied his wife in a black tuxedo complete with medals.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have used their trip to the Pacific nation so far to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, who first visited the country in 1953.

The royal couple emerged from their plane after an in-flight costume change, with Meghan wearing a long-sleeved cream dress by Australian label Zimmerman and matching headpiece, and Prince Harry a grey suit and military medals.

Meghan is wearing earrings gifted from the Queen, and a bracelet that was given to her by Prince Charles, for the formal arrival.

The route from the airport into Suva, about 40km, was lined with people hoping to catch a glimpse of their royal highnesses.

It’s expected about 15,000 locals attended a traditional welcome ceremony for Prince Harry and Meghan despite the rain.

Harry gave a short speech thanking Fiji for their warm welcome, with The Sun’s royal correspondent Emily Andrews reporting the crowd “went wild” when Harry greeted onlookers with “Bula”.

The Duke of Sussex was also cheered when he drank kava, a local Fijian drink.

🇫🇯 Bula Fiji! #RoyalVisitFiji pic.twitter.com/6iUnfDU9a2

— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) October 23, 2018

Following the ceremony Harry and Meghan headed by car to their accommodation for the night, the Grand Pacific Hotel, waving to well wishers from their hotel balcony before heading inside.

The hotel is same place where Queen Elizabeth stayed in 1953 for her first visit.

In another tribute to the Queen, Fijian media are also reporting Harry will the same shovel used by his grandmother in 1953 to plant a dakua seedling.

Meghan’s ‘Diana moment’ stuns

Where Meghan and Harry were hiding out on Fraser Island

Harry and Meghan: The chaos you don’t see

Earlier today, they were pictured leaving Queensland’s Fraser Island, arriving at Hervey Bay marina en route to Hervey Bay airport. Both appeared to be enjoying a rare ‘day off’ during the trip, dressed down in shirts, pants and sunglasses:

It has been a jam-packed trip so far for the newlyweds, who revealed the ultimate surprise when they announced their pregnancy upon landing in Sydney.

After a gruelling week of engagements, the duchess cut back on some planned appearances on Sunday so she could rest.

However, she bounced back on Monday to join the duke on Queensland’s Fraser Island.

Meghan spent most of the day at a luxury resort, avoiding the bumpy terrain Harry needed to traverse on the world’s largest sand island to carry out his official engagements.

Harry was there to unveil a plaque adding the holiday destination’s 83,757 hectares of pristine rainforests to the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy project.

He went barefoot in the sacred waters of Lake McKenzie and was briefed by Butchulla elders about the ancestral significance of various sites across the island, known as K’gari.

“I think he was blown away … the size of the timbers we took him to, the beauty of the lakes, you know, talking with our songman, our rangers, and hearing it from both points of view on things he had not thought about,” Aunty Nai Nai said.

Land and sea rangers and dancers who met the duke told of a mutual respect, acknowledging the significance of his visit to their land and new understanding of traditional Butchulla practices.

The royal couple later reunited for an afternoon stroll along the island’s Kingfisher Bay jetty, delighting locals.

The duchess is expected to be by her husband’s side at all their planned engagements in Fiji and Tonga.

In the meantime, Harry’s Invictus Games for wounded defence veterans continues in Sydney.

The duke and duchess are expected to catch some of the final events when they return on Friday.

They are due to jet off to New Zealand on Sunday for the last stops on their 16-day tour.

With AAP

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