Royal Roundup: Prince William Plays Soccer, Prince Harry Charms Australia
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BEN STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images(LONDON) — Prince William oversaw a football game on the lawn of Buckingham Palace while, half a world away, Prince Harry charmed the people of Australia, all in just another long weekend for Britain’s royal family.
Prince Harry, 28, landed in Australia Saturday on his first official trip to the country down under.
The prince, or Capt. Wales as he is known in the British Army, visited Sydney to represent his grandmother, the queen, at the International Fleet Review, a celebration of the Royal Australian Navy fleet’s arrival in Sydney Harbor 100 years ago.
Harry was greeted in Australia by throngs of fans as well as headlines that included, “Lock up your daughters Tony Abbott, Prince Harry is heading down under to party,” referring to the country’s prime minster and his two attractive, younger daughters.
Despite the cheeky reference to Harry’s partying past, the prince’s meeting with the prime minister and his family went off without a glitch. The U.K.’s Telegraph reported that Abbott, his daughters and wife took Harry on a tour of the gardens of their official residence.
Abbott’s daughters were nowhere to be seen, however, when he and Prince Harry later turned their attention to a more serious matter, meeting with the families of fallen soldiers. Harry, dressed in camouflage, joined Abbott in meeting with members of Australia’s Special Air Services Regiment and lay wreaths at the barracks, according to the BBC.
While Prince Harry is now on his way to Dubai for a fundraiser for one of his charities, his older brother, Prince William, is holding down the fort at home, but having some fun with it too.
William, 31, played host Monday to the first ever football match held at Buckingham Palace. The game, involving two amateur clubs, was William’s idea as a way to mark the Football Association’s 150th anniversary, the association’s president told the BBC.
William, formally known as the Duke of Cambridge, handed out medals to 150 volunteers before giving them a fair warning.
“Today we will be playing football on my grandmother’s lawn,” he said. “One warning, though: if anyone breaks a window, you can answer to her.”
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