Running Around Royal (Prince Harry #4)

Chapter Seventy-Nine

The day began with the Duke and Duchess of Windsor when their vehicle pulled up. The duke wore a dark tux with an open white shirt; he continued his James Bond look with dark sunglasses. The duchess wore matching sunglasses, but some were going to argue that she looked better. Wearing a flowing floral dress, the duchess was her normal relaxed self. Other royals were high energy, much like her husband, but the duchess always seemed quite calm the situation.

The duke and duchess stood by the car before being placed on top of a spectacular double throne that was carried by 25 Polynesian men, who wore pandanus leaf skirts. For a second, the duchess' relaxed smile faltered when it was lifted off the ground. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped her thrown. This was the first time she had ever been picked up. While it was thrilling experience, the duchess counted down until she was on the ground again.

Going across the way, school children, who ranged from young to practical adults, dressed in their uniforms waved Union Jack flags in their way. They screamed at the top of their lungs when the duke and duchess waved off. A few held signs that very much got the attention of the duke. Even though he was a married man, there were some people who wished it wasn't so.

Besides the children and teenagers, adults welcomed the royals to the island too with wide smiles and traditional outfits. It wasn't every year that British royals visited Tuvalu. The country was very much overlooked with its over 11,000 people in ten square miles. Tuvalu wasn't as large or as popular as Canada or Australia. Tuvalu, however, was one of the most loyal nations to the Commonwealth. The last time a royal had been here had been the 1980s when the queen herself had stopped by.

The thrones came to a stop and were gently placed on the ground. The duchess was incredibly happy to be back on the ground. The men only wore those skirts, and they were very much oiled for the occasion. They had kept her firmly above in the air, but it was definitely better to be back on the ground.

The duke held out his hand, and the duchess took his hand. Carefully, the marriage couple stepped out of the bunch with their holding hands. Immediately, they were crowned with flower garlands of white flowers. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were closer in line to the throne, but today, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor were the king and queen.

Brightly colored skirts were wrapped around their waists, and it didn't take more than a second before the duchess shook her hips. Her old dance roots showcased themselves. In one fluid motion, the duchess tapped her right hip into the duke's, and he let out a chuckle.

The duke tried to move, like his wife did. He tried to shake his hips, like his wife did. He tried to get his skirt to shift in the wind, like his wife's did. It was no use. The Duke of Windsor was no dancer. In fact, it was been a laughing point his whole life; at least, he was better than his older brother-- probably only because he was seen as cooler.

The duke and duchess joined members of Tuvalu's government at a table. Tuvalu was barely above sea level and as greatly affected by climate change and rising oceans. In the afternoon, the duke had a speech to give about those two exact things. As for now, the duke and duchess enjoyed their time.

In front of them, dancers danced with traditional moves. The duchess was thrilled to watch them move. She secretly loved to dance, which was something she hadn't been able to do often. She realized that she needed to do more of it. Watching them move, the duchess felt like a little girl again, eyes wide and mouth open. Her mind was torn between wanting to dance with them and watching in awe.

The duchess didn't see this kind of dancing every day, and some people thought there wasn't anything special about it. However, the duchess thought it was one of the most wonderful things in the world. She loved how their bodies moved, how confident they were with every step, how relaxed everything was.

After all, there was a reason Tuvalu was called paradise.

The Duke and Duchess of Windsor were then welcomed to stand. They joined the dancers in the grass, and there, they received a lesson. The duchess had graceful movements while the duke tried not to trip over his own feet. The duchess seemed very interested in learning, but the duke only liked making his skirt flow.

Back at the table, the duke and duchess sat down on the ground with politicians and other Tuvalu leaders. They were served traditional food, which included bananas, breadfruit and coconuts. They weren't bad. However, the sweetness made her stomach clench. The duchess smiled the whole time.

Continuing to smile, it didn't flt nor break as the duke and duchess were entertained through traditional throat singing. While some royals-- like the duke-- broke several times but managed to recover each time. The duchess deserved more credit than she got because she didn't break once.

There were certain sounds that she almost broke, the duchess took everything graciously. Her trick was that she bit her the inside of her lip. Even though she started to taste blood, the duchess rather tasted blood than break into laughter.

The duke and duchess were far away from London-- and sometimes, they felt like they were far away from their lives-- but that didn't meant that the news didn't reach them. The duchess was well aware what people said about her, but it didn't bother her. She had been bullied her whole life, so some random people on the internet being mean to her didn't hurt her feelings-- no matter how they tried.

While there were many negative things said about her, the biggest concerns was that she didn't have the princess-look. She didn't act like a princess. The duchess tried to fit into what they wanted with her, and she actually did fairly well. Sometimes, she felt like she lost herself. It was a constant struggle.

When the throat singing was done, the duke stood up and walked to the podium. He gave them a welcome and a thank you, and they gave him a warmer welcome. The duke's speech talk about many things from the history between the countries, but then he launched into his speech about climate change, which affected Tuvalu because of the sea level. The duke, along with his older brother, was passionate about climate change.

When he finished, the duchess was the first one of her seat, giving her husband a ovation for his speech. He greeted her with a kiss before they sat back down.

The day was short, and as the boarded the airplane to their next journey, it felt like one of the best days. It had been simple and sweet, unlike days in Europe, where they had gone to multiple countries. It was easy this way.