Jacinda Ardern's touching gift to the Queen: 'She laughed!'

Around 500 dignitaries from around the world are set to attend the Queen's funeral today as the world gathers to mourn Her Majesty. A number of world leaders will be present, including US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron. Many Commonwealth leaders will also be there, including Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Canadian leader Justin Trudeau and Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand.

Given these countries' close ties to the UK and the British monarchy, their leaders also built up a strong rapport with the Queen over the years. This was evident when Ms Ardern presented the late monarch with a sweet gift.

Following the Queen's passing, Ms Ardern recalled the time she presented her with a gift that brought back memories of the royal visit to New Zealand in the 1950s. The prime minister in Wellington gifted a picture of the Queen during the trip, in which she is seen in the back of a car laughing.

Ma Ardern said: "We framed the photo and when I presented it to Her Majesty she looked at it and she said 'I remember, as we drove around the country', she said people on the side of the road would see the prime minister and yell 'look, there's old Sid' and she laughed just as she did in the photo."

Sidney Holland was New Zealand's prime minister from 1949 to 1957. The Queen had found it funny that New Zealanders had given their leader a nickname.

Ms Ardern said that her last conversation with the Queen came just after the death of Prince Philip in April 2021. She added: "She was very grateful to know people had thought of her."

Reflecting on the Queen's 70-year reign, Ms Ardern praised Her Majesty for the sacrifices she made throughout her life.

The New Zealand prime minister said: "You know politicians, we know that our time is always limited, and that's why you just give it your all every day because you don't know how long it will be for.

"She had to get up every day knowing that that was her life and so there was never a time where she could say after this is done I'll spend time with my children or grandchildren. She had to do both all of the time. She lived to serve others.

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"She had a huge compassion for people, and that's what stood out for me. Despite those years, she never ever disconnected herself from people."

Ms Ardern concluded that, while New Zealand will mourn the loss of the Queen, she is confident that the new monarch – King Charles III – will get a similarly positive reception.

She said: "He deeply respects the relationship that we have with our environment. That's something that he's very strong on.

"He is very knowledgeable about New Zealand and I think again that speaks to his love of this country and I think he'll fully expect that will be a relationship that will grow with time."

In recent years, many countries in the Commonwealth have expressed a desire to leave and no longer have a British monarch as their head of state. Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese recently created the role of “assistant minister for the republic”, but has also said he doesn't want to address the issue at this time.

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Caribbean countries such as The Bahamas and Jamaica have also strongly hinted at leaving the Commonwealth in the near future. But Ms Ardern has no such plans for New Zealand while she is leader.

Ms Ardern said: “There’s been a debate, probably for a number of years.

“It’s just the pace, and how widely that debate is occurring. I’ve made my view plain many times. I do believe that (being a republic) is where New Zealand will head, in time. I believe it is likely to occur in my lifetime.

“This is a large, significant debate. I don’t think it’s one that would or should occur quickly.”