Mike's Minute: Once again, London has been a thrill

Published: May 4, 2023, 10:12 p.m.

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So this is it.

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It\'s our final broadcast and, as always, at the end of a journey you long for more.

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The event itself tomorrow will be spectacular.

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As we have said many times on the various royal-type visits we have made, whether it\\u2019s the William and Kate wedding in 2011, the Harry and Meghan wedding in 2018 or this one, no one does it like the Brits.

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If you want to know how to show yourself off to the world with a mix of history, glamour, sparkle and majesty, the British and the British royal family are your gold standard.

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An uplifting aspect of that, is that the Brits love it.

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They are proud to be shown off, they like the world to see who they are, where they are and what they stand for.

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In a broader sense this is a wonderful part of the world and I am proud New Zealand has such a strong connection to it.

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You can have all the republic \\u201dgo it alone, this is a new world\\u201d talk, but I love Britain and I love the royal family.

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What they show, have shown and, indeed given the mess the world is right now, what they exemplify is history, consistency and stability.

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No, they are not perfect. But who is? Being born to rule isn\'t that normal but look at any number of countries, including our own, and the flaws in our various systems are so alarming. I would have thought time honoured consistency and professionalism would be welcome by everyone.

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And London is the greatest city in the world. What a joy it has been to be back in a big place.

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A place of population where choice is everywhere, where people flock to be part of something and where all things seem possible.

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London is proof you can have a population of nine million people like New York, but you can do it without the aggro and the sirens and the honking and the yelling.

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You can provide some good service and excellent manners and you can do it with decorum.

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Maybe it looks better because we\'ve been changed by Covid, but getting out into the world has great value.

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Putting New Zealand and its size and issues into perspective has value.

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The royal family and all they contribute to Britain, the commonwealth and us, has value.

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I hope you\\u2019ve enjoyed the people we have met and some we will hear from next week, like David Walliams and Jeffrey Archer, and I hope you enjoy tomorrow.

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Being inside The Abbey, along with those 2000 others, will be the thrill of a lifetime.

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