Could Prince Harry and Meghan Markle be headed to New Zealand? Photo / file
Could Prince Harry and Meghan Markle be headed to New Zealand? Photo / file
Is Prince Harry - and his glamourous partner Meghan Markle - set to join the British & Irish Lions' travelling troupe of supporting fans?
An estimated 25,000 footy fans are set to fly in from the northern hemisphere to support the Lions during their NZ tour in June and July.
And they could be joined by some of Britain's highest-profile footy fans.
The announcement Prince Harry will visit Singapore and Sydney next month has blown the chance wide open that the Royal rugby fanatic could add to his upcoming Asia-Pacific itinerary with a short jaunt to New Zealand.
When the Herald on Sunday called Kensington Palace last week, a spokeswoman could not confirm or deny whether Prince Harry or older brother Prince William would make it to New Zealand for the Lions tour, simply saying there were no plans confirmed as of yet.
The brothers are huge rugby fans and are no strangers to supporting the Lions and England on the road - with Prince William travelling to New Zealand for part of the Lions' 2005 tour.
It's unlikely the rugby-mad Prince Harry will want to miss out on the rugby's biggest event of the year as the Lions take on the world champion All Blacks - when he's just a three-hour flight from the action.
Prince Harry, whose romance with American actress Meghan Markle is rumoured to be headed towards a marriage, will make his first visit to Singapore in June to feature in charity event on June 5, the Sentebale Royal Salute Polo Cup.
It is not known whether Markle will join him on the trip.
From there he will move on to Sydney for a jaunt which includes a celebration of the Australia's hosting of next year's Invictus Games - the sporting event launched by Prince Harry to acknowledge ill and injured servicemen and women.
Prince Harry presents the Rugby World Cup All Blacks captain Richie McCaw after the 2015 final at Twickenham. Photo / file
With the Lions tour running through to early July, the end of the Prince's "mid June" trip Down Under could easy lead into a date in Auckland or Wellington.
The last Saturday in June sees the All Blacks and Lions face off at Eden Park in the first of three tests, with fixtures at Westpac Stadium and the final test at Eden Park over the nest two weekends.
Prince Harry's described his first and only visit to New Zealand in May 2015 as "epic fun".
"I really don't think there is a highlight, it would be unfair to put a highlight on such an amazing trip. It has been fantastic," Harry said.
"The welcome I've had, has been typically Kiwi, I suppose. I couldn't have asked for a better reception. Everything has just been fantastic.
"The whole trip has been epic fun."
Prince Harry and former Prime Minister John Key during the Prince's first visit to New Zealand in 2015. Photo / Michael Craig
