Prince Harry might soon be getting into the New Zealand drum and bass scene, with Prime Minister Jacinda Adern gifting the royal one of Shapeshifter’s albums during a visit to the country.
If you’re not too well-versed in regards to what happens when politicians meet, it’s often customary to exchange gifts as a sign of good faith. Why, Denmark’s PM gave Indonesia’s President a Metallica boxset just last year, and Donald Trump attempted to bury the hatchet by giving Kim Jong Un a signed Elton John CD (despite the fact that it was inexplicably signed by Donald Trump).
However, it seems that this custom also extends to members of the royal family, who received a couple of presents during their trip to New Zealand.
As the NZ Herald reports, Prime Minister Jacinda Adern met with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex this week, where she bestowed upon the pair a series of gifts, including a copy of an album by New Zealand drum and bass act Shapeshifter.
While Adern reportedly received a community cooking book from Duchess Meghan, she decided to return the favour with a rather strong local flavour.
“I also used the opportunity to share a few personal gifts,” Adern explained. “For the Duchess of Sussex, I shared with her a personal gift of a set of Boh Runga earrings featuring the crossed feathers.”
Prince Harry however, was gifted a copy of Shapeshifter’s 2009 album, The System Is A Vampire.
“[This is] because it includes a track titled ‘Dutchies’, which is the song that the All Blacks enter onto the field with, including at Twickenham,” explained Jacinda Adern. She also reportedly presented Prince Harry with a copy of their 2016 album, Stars, on vinyl, noting that it “is a fine album”.
While there’s no word as to whether Prince Harry is now a fan of the Shapies, the city of Auckland undoubtedly pulled out all the stops with their gift, hand-knitting baby clothes for the royal couple.
“As a gift from Auckland, council staff have knitted some beautiful woollen clothing for their future baby,” explained Mayor Phil Goff. “We are also presenting two children’s books – A is for Auckland and A is for Aotearoa – to remind them of their visit here.”
Check out Shapeshifter’s ‘Dutchies’:
