Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's appearance at Wellington's Maranui Café on Monday morning prompted applause, chants and screams of joy from fans - but for some, it was all bit a much.
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Joe Young, a five-year-old student of Houghton Valley School, was left overwhelmed as the Duchess of Sussex made her way down the line of schoolchildren waiting to greet her.
Meghan offered her hand, as she had for the other kids, but Joe was too shy to shake it. The Duchess reached out with a comforting touch on the arm as Joe hid under his sunhat, rubbing his eyes.
According to Stuff, the school's deputy principal Monica Mercury tried again to embolden Joe when Harry came to meet him, but it was no use.
"I was trying to get Harry to shake hands with him. Harry said, 'Don't worry about it - he's shy'," she told Stuff.
The Duke instead gave Joe a tickle on the tummy before moving on.
Harry and Meghan visited the café to meet with mental health advocates from Lifeline and Voices of Hope to hear about initiatives working to support young Kiwis.
The next stop on the royal tour will see the couple visit the Abel Tasman National park, before a day of engagements in Auckland on Tuesday.
Newshub.
