Prince Harry and his expectant wife, Meghan, the Dutchess of Sussex, yesterday visited a drought-stricken region of Australia, bringing a rare and welcome rainstorm with them.
The prince commended resilient farmers for persisting through years-long dry spells as the couple received an enthusiastic welcome and one heart-warming hug on day two of their tour Down Under.
“The rain was a gift,” the prince quipped while addressing farmers in one of the nation’s hardest-hit regions.
Photo: Reuters
Throngs of locals brandishing cardboard cutouts of the royals gathered in the outback town of Dubbo to get a glimpse of the pair, while others wore fancy royal dress.
“You are the salt of the earth. Honest, hard-working and as tough as they come,” the prince told the community gathered in a park as heavy rain fell. “That resilience, sense of humor and commitment to the land are the qualities that make you unique, you are the backbone of this country.”
Eastern Australia has been suffering record-breaking dry periods, with some regions in and around Dubbo experiencing several years of drought.
Only in the past few weeks have some areas begun to see rain — although the downpours remain patchy.
Harry, who has spoken about his own mental health issues following the death of his mother, called on those affected by drought to ask for help.
“All you need to do is ask for it — your neighbor, your peer, your fellow farmer is literally right around the corner,” he said, noting rural Australia’s higher suicide rates.
The couple were in Dubbo to unveil a new aircraft for the country’s Royal Flying Doctor Service, enjoy a picnic with the farming community and tour a school that works with young indigenous Australians.
However, they also stopped for a heart-warming cuddle with five-year-old Luke Vincent, who was wearing his Buninyong Public School uniform and a blue-and-white cap as he nuzzled the duchess and affectionately rubbed the duke’s thinning ginger hair.
The duke and duchess swatted away flies as they met with local farmers on an outback property, where they were told of the impact of the drought and helped out with buckets of feed for livestock.
They sat down with a family for tea, with the duchess bringing her own homemade banana bread she had reportedly baked the night before.
Harry and Meghan are following in the footsteps of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, who visited Dubbo in 1954 and 1992.
A Dubbo bar went further to welcome the couple by making a batch of “Dubbo Royale” beer.
The brew combines an English-style lager with US west coast hops, in tribute to the happy couple.
“It’s like a marriage in a beer can,” bar licensee Ryan Mackintosh told local media.
The royals on Monday began a 16-day Pacific tour, landing in Sydney and almost immediately announcing the duchess’ pregnancy.
They are to visit Melbourne today before returning to Sydney.
Tomorrow, the prince is to scale the Sydney Harbour Bridge and hoist a flag to open the Invictus Games, a sports championship for wounded military personnel.
On Monday next week, the pair are to go to Queensland’s Fraser Island, the world’s largest sand island, before jetting off to Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand.
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