Tears flow at quake memorial service in London

New Zealand opera singer Hayley Westenra weeps during her testimonial at the Christchurch Earthquake Memorial service overnight. Photo / AP

Prince Charles has comforted grieving family members of Christchurch earthquake victims in London.

A memorial service at Westminster Abbey on Sunday was followed by a private audience with the Prince of Wales for 47 people at the nearby Dean's Yard. They included relatives of the two Britons that died on February 22 and relatives of some of the Kiwi victims.

The Prince and New Zealand High Commissioner Derek Leask were given a traditional Maori welcome into the Abbey by London-based kapa haka group Ngati Ranana.

Interest in the service, conducted by the Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend John Hall, was so great the New Zealand High Commission ran a ballot to allocate the 2500 tickets for seats in the Abbey and nearby St Margaret's Church, where it was broadcast.

Kiwi soprano Hayley Westenra, who lives in London, burst into tears while speaking about her home town at the service.

"I opened up my laptop and gasped in shock," she said.

"I ran to the phone and phoned my family. Hearing their voices was such a relief. But I could hear the devastation in my dad's voice.

"This was my home town. This was my backyard growing up. Never in a million years did I think something like this would happen to my city. I felt sick to my stomach. I couldn't stop crying to be honest."

Yesterday's service was the second to be held in London to remember the 166 victims of the quake.

Kiwi ex-pats organised a March 2 prayer vigil at Westminster Cathedral which drew a crowd of more than 5000.

Westenra sang at the church and yesterday described it as "the hardest performance of my life".

She said she "finally got her wish to go home" when Prime Minister John Key invited her to perform at a memorial service attended by Prince William at Hagley Park on March 18.

At the Abbey service, a prayer was read by former All Blacks captain Anton Oliver, who now works for a financial company in London after studying at Oxford.

He said: "we give thanks for the bravery, patience, and commitment of those who have been involved in search and rescue".

Peter Crook, head of the UK's International Search and Rescue team, which sent 63 people to help in search and recovery, spoke of being able to provide closure for 13 families after pulling their loved ones' bodies from the Pyne Gould building.

He told the Herald after the service that the operation had been harder than other search and rescue missions he'd been on in earthquake-stricken countries such as Japan and Haiti, as New Zealand was "so similar to home".

High Commissioner Derek Leask read a note on behalf of John Key.

It said "This was not just a tragedy for Christchurch or New Zealand, it was an international tragedy that's had its

impact on many around the world, including many here in Britain.

"We are resilient. Though lost lives can never be replaced, we will rebuild this great city and we will not forget those lost."

Also at the service was former All Blacks and Crusaders first five-eighth Andrew Mehrtens who flew across from France, where he plays for third-division club Beziers.

He and Oliver then rushed across London to watch the Crusaders' 44-28 win over South Africa's Sharks in the historic Super 15 game at Twickenham.

The Abbey service was initially due to start at 4pm but was brought forward to midday so participants could also attend match at the headquarters of England rugby.

The Crusaders were forced to switch their match from the AMI Stadium in Christchurch which was extensively damaged during the earthquake.

The game - the first to be staged away from a participant nation in the competition - doubled as a fundraiser, with £5 from each ticket going to the earthquake appeal.