Meghan Markle got a rapturous reception when she made a speech in New Zealand, using a greeting in the country's indigenous language.
The duchess of Sussex, visiting the country with her husband Prince Harry, gave a speech about women's suffrage at Government House in the country's capital, Wellington.
The audience erupted into applause when she started her speech with the formal greeting in Te Reo Maori, the language of the indigenous Maori people.
Wearing a necklace featuring a traditional Maori design she said: "Tēnā koutou katoa," which means "Greetings to all."
Spoken by a small minority of the country's population of 4.9 million, Maori is enjoying a surge of popularity. There are language immersion schools for primary school pupils and phrases from the language are regularly incorporated into radio and television broadcasts.
New Zealand government statistics from 2013 show that around 150,000 people, or less than 4 percent of people, can converse in the language.
Although not perfectly pronounced, locals received Markle's comments warmly as she went on speak about feminism in New Zealand, which is marking the 125th anniversary of becoming the first country in the world to give women the vote.
"Feminism is about fairness. So bravo New Zealand for championing this right 125 years ago … we all deeply thank you," she said.
"In the words of your suffragette, Kate Sheppard: All that separates, whether race, class, creed or sex is inhuman and must be overcome," referring to the Liverpool-born leader of the women's suffrage movement in New Zealand, who emigrated to the country in 1868.
"The achievements of the women of New Zealand who campaigned for their right to vote and were the first in the world to achieve it are universally admired.
"In looking forward to this very special occasion, I reflected on the importance of this achievement, but also the larger impact of what this symbolizes," she said, according to the BBC.
The royal couple had been welcomed into the country with a traditional "hongi," or greeting ceremony involving the touching of noses and foreheads with Maori elders. The couple will also visit the North Island cities of Rotorua and Auckland in their four-day trip before returning to the U.K.
They have also visited Australia, Fiji and Tonga on their tour of the South Pacific, at the start of which it was announced that the duchess of Sussex was pregnant.
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