Prince Harry spent the majority of his official schedule alone during day seven of his royal tour of Australia on Monday, as wife the Duchess of Sussex took some well-earned downtime after they touched down in Queensland – and he even found himself responding to a flirty comment from a fan! As the Duke arrived at Pile Valley to mark the forest’s dedication to the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy inititative, one royal watcher called out: "He’s better looking in person," to which the Prince replied: "I’ll take that as a compliment." As you should, Harry!
Harry visited Pile Valley while wife Meghan rested
The Prince was welcomed to the Fraser Island rainforest with a traditional smoking ceremony to ward off evil spirits by members of the Butchulla People, the traditional owners of the land, which they call K’gari - meaning paradise. He gazed up in awe at the 1000-year-old Satinay trees as they led him into the forest to a clearing around a sacred Spirit Tree.
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Later, during his speech, the father-to-be said: "K’gari means ‘paradise’, and that is certainly what we’ve experienced today surrounded by the towering Kauri pines, 1000 year-old satinay trees and ancient giant ferns. It is up to us now to protect this paradise together – not just because it looks beautiful - but because it is an essential part of our existence, and will continue to be for our children and their children's children."
With members of the Butchulla People
Excited Harry hasn't been shy about opening up about his future fatherhood during the royal visit, and even hinted about his preference of gender during a walkabout in Sydney on Saturday. In a video captured and shared by a crowd member, he admitted that he hopes they have a baby girl. The video shows a fan shouting: "I hope it's a girl!" and Harry replying with: "So do I!"
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While Meghan took some time to herself during the early afternoon on Monday, she was back with her husband later in the day as they met local residents on Fraser Island. Dressed in a noticeably more relaxed style, she seemed happy and comfortable as she sweetly cradled her growing bump.
Later, Harry was joined by Meghan to greet more local people
A royal aide said: "She isn't sick, she just had a tiring few days and we were concerned about the roads on the island which are incredibly bumpy and uncomfortable for anyone, let alone a pregnant woman. But the Duchess was very keen to re-join the Duke at the last engagement of the day to greet the people of the island."
