Prince Harry and Meghan charm Sydney as the Invictus Games officially begin
PRINCE Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, continued their Australian charm offensive yesterday, showing yet again their remarkable ability to effortlessly mix in any situation, with all ages.
NSW
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THEY’RE the take-them-anywhere, one-size-fits-all royal couple. Rubbing shoulders with our servicemen and women at the solemn opening of a war memorial. Getting competitive with the kids at a remote-control car race. Shining brightly among a dazzling array of stars at a party celebrating the bold and the brave.
Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, continued their Australian charm offensive yesterday, showing yet again their remarkable ability to effortlessly mix in any situation, with all ages.
Despite their jam-packed tour schedule, the devoted couple, who announced earlier this week they are expecting their first child, never failed to create special moments at each event — especially with their smallest fans.
And even the lightning that forced the evacuation of the Sydney Opera House forecourt — and damaged sound and lightning equipment — couldn’t slow them down as they last night opened the Sydney Invictus Games.
The storm sent an estimated 1000 family and friends of wounded warriors scurrying for cover under the Opera House steps. Another 497 competitors, including 72 Aussies, were stranded aboard four Rivercat ferries in Farm Cove for 40 minutes until the storm cell passed.
Proceedings got under way with a pipe and drums rendition of John Farnham’s 1986 power ballad You’re The Voice, an indigenous Welcome to Country ceremony featuring Australian Navy didgeridoo player Alan Peterson, and a rendition of the Cold Chisel hit Flame Trees by Kate Ceberano and guitarist Ian Moss.
Then Prince Harry took the stage to a rousing welcome.
Imploring Aussies to get behind our wounded warriors, he said: “Our competitors have made it to these games, most of them travelling from many thousands of miles away.
“It’s your job to cheer them on and share their stories.
“It’s your privilege to watch in the stands or with your friends and families around the television. It’s your responsibility to make sure your children know how amazing these guys and girls really are.”
Prince Harry also thanked Australians for the warm welcome they had given his wife Meghan, and the outpouring of joy over the announcement of her pregnancy.
“I have been so proud to be able to introduce my wife to you and we have been so happy to be able to celebrate the personal joy of our newest addition with you all,” he said.
Earlier the royal couple joined VIPs at a reception hosted by Premier Gladys Berejiklian at Bennelong restaurant in the Opera House.
Rain delayed their entrance by 20 minutes, with Meghan arriving in a navy Stella McCartney dress she wore previously at the Queen’s Birthday celebrations at Royal Albert Hall in April.
Former swim star Ian Thorpe acted as master of ceremonies, providing a quick how-to guide for royal protocol as the guests arrived.
“If their Highnesses approach you, please don’t be scared,” he said. But it seems even royalty gets nervous.
A photograph released by Buckingham Palace showed the Prince practising his lines before a sea of empty seats, his doting wife Meghan the only audience member.
Despite the rain, spirits were still remarkably high among those who turned out for the event, which had to be delayed by an hour.
Six-year-old Callum Sharma was on hand to see his dad, Stewart Sharma, 34, enter the arena with the Australian team. Callum has been ball boy for his dad, who will compete in wheelchair tennis from tomorrow.
“My dad had a special job protecting our country and now he’s one of the wounded warriors who will compete,” Callum said.
The royals’ day had started solemnly, with the couple officially opening the $40 million Anzac Memorial Centenary Extension at Hyde Park.
The occasion demanded Prince Harry wear the tropical dress of his regiment, the Blues and Royals, with medals, his Royal Victoria Order insignia and sword.
Harry and Meghan laid a wreath and inspected the new underground Hall of Service, which houses an artwork featuring 1701 soil samples taken from NSW towns and suburbs where young men enlisted for World War I.
And although the mood at the memorial event may have been reflective for some of Australia’s highest-ranking dignitaries, it was one of excitement for twin Sydney schoolgirls Sienna and Krystal Dawson once the event concluded.
As Harry and Meghan were leaving the function, they stopped and chatted with the nervous girls and collected gifts from them — a medallion and an Aboriginal floral artwork by Krystal.
“They came over to us and said, ‘Hi, what’s your name?’,” said nine-year-old Sienna. “And then I gave them the things I had — and Krystal did, too.”
A few hours later, on Cockatoo Island, Prince Harry raced remote-control cars against excited Ballina boy Danyan Jones.
“Harry was good at racing the cars but I was better — obviously,” Danyan, 13, said. Danyan’s dad, Jamie Tanner, was an Australian infantryman who served in East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan before being medically discharged two years ago.
Danyan was the first in the family to receive an Invictus medal from Prince Harry, after he won the remote-control competition against two other kids, from the Netherlands and UK.
“My heart stopped beating when they told me Prince Harry was going to present the medal,” Danyan said.
“Meghan was funny. She was saying, ‘I’ll have a go, but I’ll crash it over the fence and put it in the water’.”
The royals were at Cockatoo Island to watch the first event of the competition, the Jaguar Land Rover Driving Challenge, in which the Aussie team of Craig McGrath and Scott Reynold came second.
Mr McGrath, 45, said he was thrilled the Duke and Duchess were “giving up their time and caring about veterans”.