‘A Hug? Why Not!’ Says Delighted King Charles as Rugby Players Move in for Embrace at Buckingham Palace

Everyone loves a big hug — and King Charles certainly appeared to enjoy the one he was on the receiving end of when he was pulled in for a group embrace at the palace.

The New Zealand women’s rugby team brushed aside any idea that you don’t touch a royal when they boldly asked to wrap their arms around Charles, 75, during their meeting at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday, Sept. 11.

“Yeah, we all wanted a hug. But, only if it’s okay with you,” winger Ayesha Leti-I’iga said to excited laughter.

Charles smiled and welcomed them in. “A hug? Why not!” said the monarch as several of the players from the Black Ferns wasted no time in moving in for a group embrace. Then, as the hug broke up, one of the team members, who hadn’t been in the group, moved in for her own, personal embrace.

According to the BBC, Charles joked to them afterwards that it was “like being flattened by a scrum.”

Charles met the Black Ferns team amid their visit to the U.K. to play England’s Red Roses at the Allianz Stadium in London on Sept 14. He told them of his sadness that he and his wife Queen Camilla are not visiting their country when he heads to neighboring Australia later this year.

 

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In ordinary times, Charles would have visited New Zealand around the time he tours the area in October. But, these are not ordinary times as he is still being treated for an undisclosed cancer and aides and doctors have advised that he limit his travel. (He and Camilla are also heading to Samoa on the same tour.) At the time of the tour announcement, a palacespokesperson explained that “the King’s doctors have advised that such an extended program should be avoided at this time, to prioritize His Majesty’s continued recovery.”

During the visit to Australia, Charles is set to meet some cancer experts to hear about the “work they do to help those affected by melanoma, one of Australia’s most common cancers,” the palace announced on Sept 10. Professor Georgina Long and Professor Richard Scolyer, who are both Australians of the Year, work at the University of Sydne and are co-medical directors of the Melanoma Institute Australia. They won the award together for their work to save lives from skin cancer.

The news came as it was revealed on Sept. 9 that Kate Middleton has overcome a major hurdle in her cancer treatment — she has finished her chemotherapy. She made the announcement in in a highly personal video. “The cancer journey is complex, scary and unpredictable for everyone, especially those closest to you. With humility, it also brings you face to face with your own vulnerabilities in a way you have never considered before, and with that, a new perspective on everything,” Kate, 42, said in the film, which was shot in Norfolk in August.