Tears, cheers for their royal hug-nesses

Melbourne in raptures as couple stop by

Royal fever peaked in Melbourne as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex embarked on their meetthe-people walk through Melbourne. Excited Victorians chanted Harry and Meghan’s names as they hugged, accepted gifts and shook hands with thousands of delighted fans lined up along Government House Drive.

One woman who was lucky enough to get a hug from the Prince got so overwhelmed she immediately broke down in tears.

So far, the most popular greeting to the expectant parents is simply “congratulations!”, although plenty of teenage girls also launched into enthusiastic rounds of “Harry, Harry, Harry!” as the popular prince passed.

The royal couple has another packed schedule, including a ride on one of the city’s iconic trams.

After jetting out of Sydney yesterday morning, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped off the plane in Melbourne about 10.45am, more than six hours after royal watchers began taking their places.

Rain is following the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The prince was drenched during his time at Dubbo on Wednesday and showers were forecast for Melbourne yesterday, but organisers promised everything would go ahead as planned.

Their itinerary includes a short tram ride on the world’s largest urban tram network, with 250km of track.

The expectant parents will also spend time meeting the public, before visiting a school and a beach.

The couple will meet young community leaders during a reception hosted by Governor Linda Dessau.

“We are pleased to have the opportunity to host the duke and duchess, to show them innovative programmes by young Victorians, and to introduce them to our next generation of leaders,” the governor said ahead of the visit.

Premier Daniel Andrews, who backs an Australian republic, met Harry and Meghan at the airport.

“There’s some activities at Government House including an opportunity for the royal couple to meet lots of Victorians who I’m sure will be queued up to . . . say ‘congratulations’ on the pregnancy,” he said.

After a day in Melbourne, Harry and Meghan were to head back to Sydney.

Photos / AP “Congratulations” was a common greeting for Meghan as the couple met the public in Melbourne.

Fans waited for around six hours for a chance to see the royal couple.

There were hugs, tears, and chants of “Harry, Harry, Harry!” from teenage girls for the popular prince.