Jacinda Ardern, the ex-Prime Minister of New Zealand, has shared the amusing parenting advice given to her by Queen Elizabeth II.
In an exclusive excerpt from her memoir, A Different Kind of Power, featured in The Guardian, the 44-year-old recalled meeting the monarch while she was seven months pregnant during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London in April 2018.
Having been elected as New Zealand’s Prime Minister the previous year, the 44-year-old attended the Queen’s Dinner on the meeting’s first night.
She wore a mustard yellow gown to the formal occasion which had been specially made by New Zealand designer Juliette Hogan to accommodate her growing bump.
As a nod to her country, the politician paired the dress with a traditional Māori cloak woven from flax and covered with feathers layered on top.
Writing in her memoir, which will be published on June 3, Ms Ardern recalled walking through the halls of Buckingham Palace with her husband Clarke Gayford.
The monarch, who was 91 at the time, then greeted the couple in the Blue Drawing Room. Ms Ardern was one of four leaders who had been offered a 20-minute private meeting with the monarch.
‘She had, of course, raised children in the public eye,’ Ms Ardern wrote in her memoir, ‘so in our private meeting I asked if she had any advice.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern walks through Buckingham Palace with her husband Clarke Gayford on April 19, 2018. She was seven months pregnant at the time
During her meeting with Queen Elizabeth II, the politician, 44, asked for advice on how to raise children in the public eye
‘“You just get on with it,” she said simply. She sounded so matter of fact, just as my grandma Margaret might have.
‘I squeezed the package I was holding, a gift for the queen. It was a framed image of her during a royal tour to New Zealand in 1953, her head back in a full relaxed laugh. You just get on with it. Of course you do.’
Just two months later, Ms Ardern would become only the second elected head of government to give birth while in office.
She gave birth to her daughter Neve Te Aroha in June 21, 2018, retuning to work as Prime Minister in early autumn.
The only other elected leader to give birth in office was Benazir Bhutto.
Although she was unelected, Ms Ardern looked up to Queen Elizabeth as she gave birth to Prince Andrew and Prince Edward after she took to the throne.
Reflecting on her meeting with the late Queen on the Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme ahead of her funeral, Ms Ardern said: ‘One of the things on my mind alongside being a new prime minister was being a prime minister and a mum.
‘And when you think about leaders who have been in that position, there were so few to look to.
Ms Ardern gave birth to her daughter Neve Te Aroha in June 21, 2018. She would become only the second elected head of government to give birth while in office
Queen Elizabeth II gave birth to Prince Andrew (left) and Prince Edward (bottom) after taking to the throne
Ms Ardern addresses a press conference after news of the Queen’s passing in September 2022
Ms Ardern reflects on her meeting with the late Queen on the Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme ahead of her funeral
Ms Ardern and her husband arrive at Westminster Abbey for the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on September 19, 2022
‘So I said to her, “How did you manage?”, and I remember she just said, “Well, you just get on with it”. And that was actually probably the best and most factual advice I could have.’
Ms Ardern attended the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey on September 19, 2022 with her husband by her side.
Having previously lived in London, the New Zealand politician said she was not surprised by the magnitude of the public’s response to the Queen’s death.
‘I’ve seen what London looks like day-to-day, and what it feels like day-to-day, the hustle and bustle,’ she told Laura Kuenssberg.
‘And to see it just stand still, but do so so poetically, is a very moving thing to witness. The Queen was here for her people, and now her people are there for her.’
Ms Ardern was made a dame by the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle on October 16, 2024 for her services to politics.
A Different Kind of Power: A Memoir by Jacinda Ardern will be published globally on June 3, 2025.
