Harry reigns for ‘tough’ farmers
PRINCE Harry has paid tribute to the resilience of Australia’s farmers in a visit to drought-hit Dubbo, but urged them to reach out for help. With new bride Meghan Markle at his side and speaking in torrential rain, Harry said seeking help in his darkest hours was the best decision he had made. “You are the salt-ofthe-earth, honest, hardworking and as tough as they come,” he said. “But I know that life has not been easy.”
PRINCE Harry brought the gift of rain and a personal message of hope when he and Meghan Markle visited drought-stricken Dubbo yesterday.
As torrential rain fell, the Duchess of Sussex lovingly shielded her husband with an umbrella while Prince Harry urged the spellbound crowd not to be afraid to ask for help, saying that in his own darkest hours it was the best thing he ever did.
“You are the salt-of-the-earth, honest, hardworking and as tough as they come,” he said in a morale-boosting speech. “You have a lot to be proud of.
“But I know that life has not been easy.
“You have just lived through two years of drought ... it must be hard not to lose hope when you endure so many dry months on end, knowing that you are powerless to do anything about it.”
He spoke of the high suicide rates and his own battles with mental health after the death of his mother Princess Diana.
“And if I may speak personally, we are all in this together because asking for help was one of the best decisions that I ever made,” he said.
Farmers were among the 30,000-strong crowd in Dubbo’s Victoria Park and said they knew Prince Harry’s speech came from the heart.
On the second official day of their visit, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex beamed as they stepped off their aircraft, Meghan wearing a Maison Kitsune shirt, Serena Williams Collection jacket and a necklace by Australian designer Natalie Martin.
Outland Denim is the Aus- tralian brand behind the Duchess’s black jeans.
After their official greeting, the couple walked across the airport to the Royal Flying Doctor Service hangars, meeting children from the local public schools, taking the time to shake hands or talk to nearly each one of the excited children, who were waving flags and craning to get a closeup of the royal couple.
They saw for themselves how hard the drought has hit the region while touring Mountain View farm, 25km from the city.
Meghan took off her jacket as the couple fed cattle hay and cotton seed, and heard how the farm had to bring in hay from afar away as South Australia.
You are the salt-of-the-earth, honest, hardworking and as tough as they come
PRINCE HARRY describes Aussie farmers