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Blue dress shows off Meghan’s baby bump during Fiji reception

On the latest stop on their tour, the Duke of Sussex and his wife were given a traditional welcome to Fiji.

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Royal tour of Fiji – Day One

The Duchess of Sussex showed off her baby bump as she wore a full-length blue dress to a state reception in Fiji.

Meghan was pictured cradling her stomach while stood next to Harry at the Grand Pacific Hotel, the latest stop on their 16-day tour of Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga.

Duchess of Sussex
The Duchess of Sussex arrives for the state dinner at the Grand Pacific Hotel (Ian Vogler/Daily Mirror/PA)

The 37-year-old wore the dress by label SAFiYAA at a black tie reception in Suva, after attending a welcome ceremony at the nearby Albert Park.

Her outfit, worn with her hair down, was by German-born London-based designer Daniela Karmuts.

Kensington Palace announced that Meghan was expecting on the eve of the couple’s first tour outside the UK and Ireland.

Harry has told his wife to make sure she is getting enough rest during the packed schedule and Meghan missed a couple of engagements on Fraser Island where the terrain is uneven.

But she did join her husband for a public walkabout on Kingfisher Bay Jetty and was seen holding her stomach as she made her way along the pier.

The couple have already received a number of gifts for the baby, from soft toys through to clothes and a changing mat.

On the latest stop on their tour, the Duke of Sussex echoed his grandparents as he and his wife were given a traditional welcome to Fiji before waving from the balcony of the Grand Pacific Hotel.

The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh were treated to the welcome in the capital Suva’s Albert Park in 1953 and Harry and Meghan sat in the same location on Tuesday as he was offered roast pig, a whale’s tooth and the traditional drink kava.

After the 45-minute welcoming ceremony which featured traditional chants and dancing, the couple then made the short drive to the Grand Pacific Hotel where hundreds packed in to see them on the balcony.

Harry and Meghan in Fiji
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex wave from the balcony of the Grand Pacific Hotel (Phil Noble/PA)

At the dinner, president Jioji Konrote said Harry’s late mother Diana would be “proud of the man” Harry had become and that he had found happiness and love with Meghan.

People in nearby fields strained their eyes for a glimpse of the couple as they arrived at Nausori airport, with Meghan wearing a Zimmerman dress, a hat by Stephen Jones and earrings which the Queen had given her as a gift, paired with a bracelet from the Prince of Wales.

Harry and Meghan observed a royal salute, and the duke was then invited to inspect the guard of honour before the couple left for their next engagement, a meeting with Mr Konrote.

As their convoy left the airport, thousands of well-wishers lined the road along the 15-mile route to Suva, waving flags and cheering.

The Duke And Duchess Of Sussex Visit Fiji – Day 1
Prince Harry and Meghan at the welcome ceremony in Albert Park (Chris Jackson/Getty Images/PA)

People ran alongside the motorcade as it pulled into Albert Park under cloudy skies for the official welcoming ceremony, or Veirqaraqarvi Vakavanua.

Hundreds, slightly damp from a rain shower – or “a bit of blessing”, as the master of ceremonies put it – cheered and waved Union flags and Fijian flags as the couple arrived.

The crowd maintained a reverential silence with only the occasional burst of children chatting or a nearby clock chiming heard over the rhythmic drums and chanting of the ceremony.

Harry and Meghan sat on a stage as he was given the whale’s tooth, a sign of wealth, during the vakasobu part of the ceremony, before he was given kava, a drink made from a mashed plant root, during the yaqona vakaturaga.

Harry, his medals catching the floodlights, looked on as the kava was made with the root wrung out, before a bowl was passed to him. He accepted the bowl and held it to his lips as the crowd cheered.

Royal tour of Fiji – Day One
The Duke of Sussex is given a traditional Kava drink (Chris Jackson/PA)

Rain began to fall again as the lovo, a presentation of a roast pig, and a basket of dalo, a root vegetable like a potato, was offered to the duke.

He told the crowd: “Bula venaka! The duchess and I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible during the next two days and celebrating the links and close friendship between Fiji and the United Kingdom.”

He signed off with “venaka”, or thank you, to cheers and laughter.

To close the ceremony, the couple watched a meke, a traditional dance, with Harry leaning forward in his seat.

Dozens of people from the village of Nakelo – an area known for its links to the Armed Forces – took to the Albert Park turf to perform for the duke and duchess.

As soon as the ceremony was over, there was a rush towards the Grand Pacific Hotel.

The duke and duchess appeared on the balcony for 30 seconds, waving to the crowds below with many taking pictures on camera phones.

On Wednesday, the Duke will lay a wreath at the Suva War Memorial before being joined by Meghan at the University of the South Pacific to watch a cultural performance about climate change.

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