Black Ferns have group hug with King Charles at Buckingham Palace visit

King Charles III meets the Black Ferns at Buckingham Palace. Photo / Getty Images

Members of the Black Ferns asked permission to break protocol before sharing a group hug with King Charles during a visit to Buckingham Palace this morning.

The World Cup winners were visiting the King ahead of Sunday’s clash against England at Twickenham, a rematch of the 2021 World Cup final.

“We all wanted a hug, but only if that’s okay with you,” Ayesha Leti-I’iga asked the King.

“A hug? Why not,” King Charles responded.

A video of the moment was posted on the Black Ferns official Instagram account.

The King later made the squad laugh during an impromptu speech, when he said: “I much appreciated this chance to meet you and have such a warm hug from most of you,” adding: “Very healing.”

Leti-Iiga told British media she didn’t intend her teammates to jump in.

“I asked him ‘Can we have a hug?” and the King said ‘Yes’ but as I went in to hug him, the others all jumped on top so it turned into more of a scrum.”

“I thought you said ‘We’, so we all got involved,” teammate Liana Mikaele-Tu’u added.

The Black Ferns take a photo with King Charles III on the Grand Staircase at Buckingham Palace. Photo / Getty Images

Details of King Charles’ first major tour since his cancer diagnosis were released on Tuesday, with the King travelling to Australia and making a state visit to Samoa for a Commonwealth leaders’ summit.

But he will not travel to New Zealand, where he is also the head of state, along with Britain and Australia.

“I’m extremely sorry I can’t come to New Zealand in later October because of doctor’s orders, but I hope there’ll be another excuse [to come] before not too long,” he said.

Champagne was served for King Charles’ guests but the rugby players opted for fruit juice and water, with the King joking: “I’m so pleased to have this opportunity to greet you all, for a short moment – apparently not to be able to give you a drink.”

During the event, the squad also performed a waiata – a traditional welcome song – after King Charles expressed his sympathy following the recent death of New Zealand’s Māori King Tūheitia.

- with AFP