Prince Harry and Meghan Markle discussed moving to New Zealand during a 2018 visit, says country's 知事-general - more than a year before Megxit

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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex discussed moving to New Zealand during a 2018 visit, によれば the Queen's 代表者／国会議員 in the country, more than a year before they stepped 支援する from 王室の 義務s and moved to the US.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who now live in California and have since welcomed their second child, daughter?Lilibet Diana on June 4, 2021, visited New Zealand at the end of a hectic?16-day 王室の 小旅行する of the South 太平洋の three years ago.

知事-general Dame Patsy Reddy 解任するd the couple 説 they 'could imagine living in a place like this' and questioned whether it would be 'theoretically possible'.?

She told?Associated 圧力（をかける） in an interview: 'They were looking at how they might raise their family. And 明白に they've made some 決定／判定勝ち（する）s since.'

Harry and Meghan, who also 株 son Archie, two, shocked the world when in January 2020 they 発表するd their 意図 to step 支援する from 上級の 王室の 役割s, become financially 独立した・無所属 and spend more time in North America.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex visit Te Papaiouru Marae on October 31, 2018 in Rotorua, New Zealand

The Duke and Duch ess of Sussex speak with the 知事 General of New Zealand Dame Patsy Reddy (権利) and her husband David Gascoigne (left) after the 公式の／役人 welcoming 儀式 at 政府 House on October 28, 2018 in Wellington, New Zealand

に引き続いて 危機 会談 with the 王室の Family, it was agreed the couple would no longer be working 王室のs and gave up their '王室の Highness' 肩書を与えるs.

In March that year, Harry and Meghan carried out their?last 公式の／役人 約束／交戦 at the 年次の 連邦／共和国 Day service in London, before settling in California.?

解任するing the couple's trip to New Zealand, and how they appeared tired,?Dame Patsy, 67, said:?'I remember they'd just been 負かす／撃墜する to the Abel Tasman 国家の Park when we sat 負かす／撃墜する and had a drink.

'They said that they could imagine living in a place like this and wondered whether we thought it would be theoretically possible. Even possible for them to have a place in New Zealand.

'Of course, we said, "Sure. It would be 罰金". There are lots of 適切な時期s to live in New Zealand, but that would be something that they'd have to 調査する.'

?知事-general Dame Patsy Reddy (pictured) 解任するd the 王室の couple 説 they 'could imagine living in a place like this' and questioned whether it would be 'theoretically possible'

The discussion 示唆するs the couple were considering 選択s outside Britain いっそう少なく than six months after they married and 井戸／弁護士席 before their 結局の move to the US.

Dame Patsy said she did not 見解（をとる） it as a formal request for 援助 but more of an informal discussion about the couple's hopes for the 未来.?

She said they seemed impressed with 接近 to the outdoors and their interactions with New Zealanders.?

During a 広範囲にわたって watched interview with Oprah Winfrey earlier this year, Harry and Meghan said they had 申し込む／申し出d to take a step 支援する from 王室の life in a 連邦／共和国 country such as South Africa or New Zealand.

Dame Patsy said she watched the interview but did not want to comment on 内部の 王室の family 商売／仕事.

'I thought they were a lovely couple and I hope they've got a 広大な／多数の／重要な 未来 where they are,' she said.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who now live in California and have since welcomed their second child, daughter Lilibet Diana on June 4, 2021, visited New Zealand (pictured) at the end of a hectic 16-day 王室の 小旅行する of the South 太平洋の three years ago

一方／合間, Dame Patsy also said the British 君主 should remain as New Zealand's 長，率いる of 明言する／公表する, and 述べるd the 手渡す-typed letters she sends to the Queen.

Dame Patsy will leave her 大部分は 儀式の 役割 代表するing Her Majesty in New Zealand in October after a five-year 称する，呼ぶ／期間／用語.?

A lawyer who was given the honorific Dame for services to arts and 商売／仕事, she 公式に 調印するs 法案s into 法律, 統括するs over public 儀式s and 小旅行するs the country, 会合 さまざまな groups 含むing Indigenous Maori.?

She 追加するd that she 定期的に 表明するs her confidential 見解（をとる）s of what is happening in New Zealand to the Queen, such as the nation's 返答 to the pandemic. She said the communication 'is やめる touchingly old-fashioned, by letter'.

'She has told me on the times that I've seen her that she finds it 利益／興味ing to have a personal 視野 on what's happening,' Dame Patsy said. 'As she says, "I like to know what's happening between the lines".'

Some people in New Zealand believe the country should become an 独立した・無所属 共和国 but Dame Patsy said she believes the queen should remain the 長，率いる of 明言する／公表する because the 協定 作品 and has strong historical links.

She said New Zealand has a special 関係 to the 君主国 because its 設立するing 文書, the 条約 of Waitangi, was 調印するd by Maori and a represe ntative of Queen Victoria.

Asked about a 未来 シナリオ in which a 君主 might turn out to be 独裁的な or 独裁的な, Dame Patsy said the same シナリオ with an elected 大統領，／社長 would be likely to be worse.

'We've seen how that doesn't work in other countries in the world,' she said. 'But 現実に, because the 君主 is much more of a theoretical 建設する, a figurehead rather than an actual 支配者, I think it gives us a 手段 of safety, 憲法の safety.'

She said she agreed with 総理大臣 Jacinda Ardern's 査定／評価 that there was 現在／一般に little appetite の中で New Zealanders for a 憲法の change, and that people were 関心d about more 圧力（をかける）ing 問題／発行するs like 気候 change, 不平等 and the pandemic.

She said the 王室の family had been 広大な／多数の／重要な 役割 models during the pandemic, using the internet and social マスコミ to 広大な／多数の／重要な 影響 and がまんするing to the 支配するs 課すd by the UK 政府.

'So we saw tragically the funeral of Prince Philip, where they could only have 30 会葬者s,' Dame Patsy said. 'But there was no question that there'd be any 肉親，親類d of 免除, even from the 必要物／必要条件s for 孤立／分離, when, for example, Prince Harry （機の）カム 支援する to that funeral.'?