Royals get Sydney welcome
A beaming Duke and Duchess of Sussex thrilled thousands of fans outside the Sydney Opera House yesterday during their first meeting with the general public since the former Meghan Markle’s newly announced pregnancy.
Prince Harry and the Duchess spent longer than the 20 minutes allocated in their schedule to speak to and shake hands with as many well-wishers as possible. Meghan, wearing a beige trench coat over a sleeveless cream dress by Australian designer Karen Gee, accepted cards and flowers from an enthusiastic crowd.
The pregnancy has made frontpage news across Australia.
The Sydney Morning Herald ran the headline: “A smooth ride to Sydney, but royals reveal bump on the way”. Darwin’s irreverent NT News chose the headline: “Ginger Pregs” — a play on a long-running Australian comic strip about a mischievous red-head boy called Ginger Meggs.
Outside the Opera House yesterday, Harry lingered longest with war widow Daphne Dunne, 98, whom he repeatedly hugged as they chatted. It was the third time that they had met since Harry’s eye caught sight of a Victoria Cross medal on her chest during a Sydney visit in 2015.
This time, Meghan joined her husband in greeting Dunne, who admires the prince’s work with veterans. “Oh my goodness, is this Daphne?” Meghan asked.
Dunne later said Meghan told her “she had heard all about me; she’s so beautiful.”
Before Megan donned her coat, her tight-fitting dress barely revealed a bump as they were welcomed at the first event of the day at the Sydney Harbour-side mansion where the two are staying.
The main focus of that engagement was to meet Invictus Games representatives from the 18 countries competing in the event that starts Saturday. The sporting event, founded by Harry in 2014, gives sick and injured military personnel and veterans the opportunity to compete in sports such as wheelchair basketball.
The couple later travelled by boat to Taronga Park Zoo where they opened a research centre and met two 10-month-old koalas that had been named after them. —AP