British royals Harry and Meghan get baby gifts; meet koalas down under
SYDNEY: British royals Harry and Meghan received copious baby gifts, met a koala couple and posed in front of Sydney's dazzling Opera House Tuesday, on their first public outing since announcing they are to become parents.
The happy prince and his Us-born wife laughed and smiled as they were inundated with gifts –a pair of Australian baby Ugg boots, baby blankets, toy kangaroos and joeys –watched eucalyptus-munching koalas at the zoo and took a boat ride across Sydney Harbour at the start of a lengthy tour of the Pacific.
"We genuinely couldn't think of a better place to announce the, err, upcoming baby... a boy or a girl," said a hesitant Harry, as he toasted his Sydney "mates" and lauded an afternoon reception for serving both tea and beer "in true Aussie style".
Meghan began the day wearing a tight white dress by Australian designer Karen Gee and showed few signs of having a baby bump, to the mild disappointment of onlooking fans.
But she smiled broadly while posing against the backdrop of the Opera House sails, which gleamed in the spring sunshine.
Shortly after the appearance, Gee's website was down, apparently due to the volume of traffic it was receiving.
At the foot of the Opera House a crowd of hundreds pressed against security fences for a royal outdoor meet-andgreet, waving Australian flags, assorted pictures and carrying human-size koala toys, all under the gaze of police snipers and close protection officers.
"To see them in the flesh was amazing. You can't describe it," said 53-year-old Tanya Galway. "I climbed up that pole there to get a better view." The royal baby was on the mind of Britain's Prince Harry, second left, and Meghan, right, react as they receive gifts from by Australia's Governor General Sir Peter Cosgrove and his wife Lady Cosgrove at Admiralty House in Sydney, on Tuesday
most of the crowd, including 56-year-old fan Rhonda Tissington, who managed to give the couple a gift.
"I quickly put together a baby blanket and a first baby book, of farm photos inside,"
she told AFP.
"Harry said 'Oh wonderful', so he was very pleased. He even shook the present."
This royal couple are on a 16-day tour of Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga that had already been keenly watched but is now set to be a media frenzy that may test Australia's large contingent of royal-sceptic republicans.
Shortly after the pair stepped off the plane on Monday, Kensington Palace announced that Queen Elizabeth II'S 34-year-old grandson and the 37-year-old actress are "expecting a baby in the spring of 2019", triggering a chorus of coos and rampant tabloid speculation about baby names.
"What fantastic news!" tweeted Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. "Australia is thrilled for you both. Looking forward to sharing in the joy during your stay down under."
The queen was said to be "delighted", British Prime Minister Theresa May tweeted her "warmest congratulations", and Meghan's mother Doria Ragland said she was "very happy about this lovely news".