How Meghan and Harry spread fairy dust over Melbourne
THERE was something irresistibly relaxed about Harry and Meghan despite a crazy schedule that was always running behind time. The “new royals” certainly won over a Melbourne crowd that had needed no winning over, writes Patrick Carlyon.
VIC News
Don't miss out on the headlines from VIC News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
THERE was something irresistibly relaxed about the royal engagements in Melbourne on Thursday despite a crazy schedule that was always running behind time.
The “new royals” held hands throughout the day, when they were not compelled to each hold an Aussie rules football. They beamed at one another when they were not beaming at the locals.
The Melbourne factor shone before they even arrived, in the beanies paired with tiaras, and the crowds who braved the drizzle by turning up at Government House Drive from 4am.
HARRY AND MEGHAN’S BEST MELBOURNE MOMENTS
MEGHAN SWAPS DRESSES ON MELBOURNE JAUNT
PICTURE SPECIAL: MEGHAN AND HARRY IN MELBOURNE
Hand-painted signs burst in rainbow colours, some alluding proudly to wagging school.
The joy seemed natural, and spontaneous, like the backstory of the royal couple’s romance, as if Melbourne was overdue in sharing in the fairytale. And the royals themselves, in their easy chatter, invited the kinds of exchanges of wit and kindness that haven’t always been associated with the “old royals”.
Few fans, as you’ve probably seen by now, looked more sprinkled in fairy dust than Geelong’s India Brown. On Thursday morning, she wrote a sign, more in hope than expectation, inviting Prince Harry to come over and say hello.
When he did, she appeared to start hyperventilating. Her face trembled. She seemed set to faint, in a scene that recalled the pandemonium of those other Brits, the Beatles, in the 1960s.
Nevertheless, Brown retained her poise. She had waited almost eight hours for this moment if you accept her measure as the time she took her pre-dawn place at the barriers — though it’s more like 11 years if you trace her infatuation with Harry to the age of eight.
She tested royal protocol by asking Prince Harry for a hug. How could he resist?
Brown, 19, originally from country Victoria but raised in Singapore, was still shaking five minutes later, after she’d called her Mum and Dad to tell them that Prince Harry had told her: “Oh, you’re going to get me into trouble.”
She had to apologise to her Dad — it was, she declared, the best hug she’d ever had.
Gavin Hazelwood, six and resplendent in a pilot’s uniform, was similarly charmed by Meghan. He had woken early to make a pasta necklace, painted gold, which she kneeled to accept and was still boasting when she entered Government House.
Inside, mingling with official guests, the royals appeared just as relaxed.
Harry resisted the urge to handpass a footy though his pregnant wife impressed observers with her footballing skills.
After a short tutorial, Meghan produced what was described as a “worthy debut handpass”, which she coupled with a winning smile that eludes most AFL draft hopefuls.
What added to the effect was her entirely inappropriate attire for such pursuits — high heels, a navy sleeveless dress by Dion Lee, an Australian designer who can now expect a rush of sales, under a Martin Grant trench coat.
At a reception, Meghan described Hunter Johnson as “fantastic”. He was being recognised by the Queen’s Young Leaders program for the Man Cave, a preventative mental health program for teenage boys.
Here, too, Harry once again showed his disregard for the studied behaviours that once stamped royal etiquette. He pumped his fist when he was invited to race award-winning miniature F1 cars displayed by Trinity Grammar students.
The pair then jumped in surprise at the cars’ speed as they raced one another on a track set up on a dining table.
The couple headed to Charcoal Lane restaurant in Fitzroy for a “touch, taste, smell” hands-on tour of native ingredients. They met indigenous trainees gaining certifications in hospitality.
In the kitchen, to royal laughter, head chef Greg Hampton felt comfortable enough to tackle the hierarchical orders of his kitchen.
“You can taste anything you like,” he said. “Just ask me first.”
Hampton said he was mindful of the pregnant Meghan’s health.
“I would hesitate to give Meghan the Tasmanian pepper,” he had said earlier.
“The first time I tried it, I thought I was having an allergic reaction.”
At Albert Park Primary School, where Meghan had changed in to a Club Monaco dress and Rochy flats, Harry accepted the challenge of naming a snail recently caught by schoolgirls Chloe and Daisy.
“I think ’Speedy’,” he declared.
They jumped on a tram, a rite of passage for every royal visitor for generations. Their journey would be just as contrived as every other royal tram ride — a few hundred metres, no touching on, and certainly no random Melburnians who didn’t bother with deodorant this morning.
Yet the staged nature of the ride went mostly unremarked upon. They carried it off, not as a stunt so much as another interlude in a fun-packed day.
The sun peered through dark clouds by the time of the couple’s beach visit. They chatted at length with volunteer lifeguards as schoolchildren, keen to secure a good view, waded thigh deep into Port Phillip Bay for position.
A tick after 4pm, they were gone, on a flight back to Sydney. They had spread their fairy dust, and won over a crowd that had needed no winning over.
Want more? Relive the coverage of Thursday’s visit here.
‘Angels’: Hero Coles workers save mum’s life
A mother of three has opened up on how her life was saved after she suddenly collapsed while doing a routine supermarket shop.
Wildlife and traffic fears over music festival
Wildlife advocates fear a weekend music festival in central Victoria will endanger native animals including rescued joeys.