King's coronation: Chris Hipkins meets Charles in London
Watch Lisette Raymer's report as prime minister Chris Hipkins meets the British King Charles III in London. Credits: Video - Newshub; Photo - PA/Newshub. The Prime Minister has described meeting King Charles as an "amazing moment". Chris Hipkins was warmly welcomed to Buckingham Palace for the meeting and even offered freshly made sausage rolls on arrival. The pair discussed a wide range of topics but primarily focused on New Zealand's cyclone recovery and climate change. Hipkins said the opportunity to meet the King was very special. "I relayed this to him; I remember as a very young New Zealander, him visiting New Zealand in the 1980s and lining up on the side of the road to see the then-Prince of Wales as he was visiting," Hipkins told reporters. "I never ever would've imagined as a child that one day, in the future, I'd be sitting down having a cup of tea with him." Overnight, Hipkins also had a bilateral meeting with Tonga Prime Minister Hu'akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni and met with New Zealand Defence Force soldiers training Ukrainian troops near London. Hipkins was also due to meet UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday evening (NZ time), where the pair was expected to discuss Aotearoa's free trade agreement with Britain. Newshub.