Screams of excitement echoed at the Nadi International Airport as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex Prince Harry and Meghan Markle arrived at the Airport in the last hour.
Harry and Meghan arrive in Nadi pic.twitter.com/Eve9taX2nv
— Rebecca English (@RE_DailyMail) October 24, 2018
Crowds of people stood around in bright colours and waved flags during the commencement of the traditional farewell ceremony for the Duke and Duchess that is being performed by the villagers of Nawaka.
People also broke out in cheers as the President, Jioji Konrote and the First Lady Sarote Konrote received the Duke and Duchess to escort them to their seats.
The traditional farewell is also very significant for the people of Nawaka as one of their very own, the Late Sergeant Talaiasi Labalaba will be honoured with a statue for his bravery and service towards the crown, Fiji and Britain as a whole.
Followed by the traditional farewell, the Duke will unveil a statue of Sergeant Talaiasi Labalaba, who was a Fijian member of the elite British Special Air Service, who single‑handedly held off 250 attackers from taking an army base 46 years ago.
Labalaba, one of the SAS's greatest heroes, gave his life in an epic struggle to defend his fellow soldiers at the Battle of Mirbat, in what is now Yemen in 1972.
The then 30‑year‑old held off 250 opposition fighters for six hours after sprinting through enemy fire to single‑handedly man a three‑person machine gun.
He suffered a bullet to the jaw and ignored his wounds to hold off the guerrilla force until the Sultan's Strikemaster jets arrived.
The sergeant was posthumously awarded a Mention in Dispatches for his bravery, and his body was returned to England, where it was buried in Hereford.
52-year-old, Isaia Dere who is the son of the late Fijian Hero Sergeant Labalaba is also present at the farewell and unveiling ceremony.
Also present at the traditional farewell is Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama.
The Duke and Duchess will travel to Tonga later today where they will be met by Her Royal Highness the Princess of Tonga, Angelika Latu‑fui‑peka.
You can check out the pictures and videos of the Royal couple visit to Fiji and their various engagements on our website, fijivillage.com and facebook page, fijivillage
