Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, will attend the Anzac Day civic service at the Auckland War Memorial at 11am this morning.
On behalf of his grandmother the Queen, William will place a wreath on the war memorial cenotaph outside the museum in the Auckland Domain.
In the afternoon he heads to Christchurch in a visit focused on the royal family support in the aftermath of the March 15 mosque shootings. He will visit the Justice and Emergency Services Precinct today.
Tomorrow morning, William will visit Christchurch Hospital and Masjid Al Noor, where the mosque shootings began.
In the afternoon he will go to the Linwood Masjid and later will lay a wreath at the Oi Manawa Canterbury Earthquake National Memorial beside the Avon River near Montreal St. That will be followed by a short walkabout at the area set aside for reflection on the other side of the river.
Two sections of Christchurch roads near the earthquake memorial will be closed from 2pm to 6pm for the visit: Montreal St between Tuam and Cashel Sts, and Cambridge Tce between Rolleston Ave and Cashel St.
Mosque terror attack survivor Mustafa Boztas, who was shot in the leg at Al Noor and was discharged from hospital this week, hopes to meet William this afternoon.
“I’m looking forward to meeting Prince William and the Prime Minister. It’s good to see him support us,” Boztas said.
William has strong ties to New Zealand and visited Christchurch soon after the devastating February 2011 earthquake. He and wife Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, visited the city on their New Zealand tour in April 2014.
William and several other members of the royal family said in a statement following the March 15 shootings, “We have all been fortunate to spend time in Christchurch and have felt the warm, open-hearted and generous spirit that is core to its remarkable people. No person should ever have to fear attending a sacred place of worship.”
William’s youngest child, Prince Louis, has recently turned 1.
-NewstalkZB
Featured image: Tomorrow morning, William will visit Christchurch Hospital and Masjid Al Noor, where the mosque shootings began.
