Tonga puts on a party for Prince Harry and Meghan
Prince Harry and Meghan have been given the warmest and most colourful welcome of the tour so far during their visit to the Kingdom of Tonga.
The couple are not here for long but the nation nearly came to a stop for their visit.
Children were given two days off school, people took time off work and they lined the streets wherever the Duke and Duchess of Sussex went.
The small Pacific nation - which is so far east it’s very close to the International Dateline - is the third country on the Royal Tour.
At a college near the capital Nuku’alofa, pupils and parents sang and danced for the couple as Prince Harry officially dedicated a forest to the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy project.
The powerful voices of the pupils from Tupou College carried in the air across the forest.
They’d even rehearsed a performance of ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot’ for Harry’s return from the forest, and the Prince joined in.
The song is a favourite with England Rugby fans.
The main purpose of the visit was to mark the dedication of two forest areas to his grandmother’s canopy project – which The Queen spoke about with Sir David Attenborough on ITV earlier this year.
Forty-two of the 53 Commonwealth countries have so far signed up to the plan
Prince Harry said Tonga was ‘leading by example’.
He added: ‘Planting trees and conserving forests helps us in so many ways. It is a simple but effective way to restore and repair our environment, clean the air, protect habitat and enhance our health and well-being.’
Prince Harry has dedicated a forest in each of the four countries on this tour.
The Queen, who no longer travels abroad, came to Tonga in 1953, 1970 and 1977.
Meanwhile the singing and dancing at the college went on and Tonga continued to throw a national party for the British Royals.
Meghan and Harry were serenaded out of the collage grounds before saying goodbye to the Tongan Royal Family, King Tupou VI and Queen Nanasipau’u.
The Duke and Duchess are briefly returning to Australia for the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games.
They will then embark on the final leg of this long tour.
The pair will fly to New Zealand on Sunday in a plane with the country’s Invictus competitors and will spend three days in Wellington, Auckland and Rotorua.