THIS is the adorable moment Prince Harry called his wife over to get a photo with her mini me.
Sethunya Gibbons, 9, was waiting with her family in the crowd at the Sydney Opera House wearing a T-shirt with the words “girls can do anything” when she caught the attention of the Duke of Sussex before he called Meghan over to meet her.
The Duchess then told the girl she reminded her of herself when she was younger, before Prince Harry took a photo of the group on the girl’s phone.
Someone in the crowd first told Meghan they thought the girl looked like her, to which she replied: “I was literally about to say the same thing.”
“You remind me so much of myself when I was younger. And I love your shirt,” she said to her young fan.
The girl posed with her grandma and later told 2dayfm of the exciting moment.
“When Harry came over to me, he came over first, he said ‘girls can do anything’ because that’s what it says on my shirt,” she said.
“Then he asked me if I wanted to meet his wife so I said ‘yes’ and then he asked me if I wanted him to take a photo of me and Meghan.”
Sethunya was with her grandmother Sharon Gibbons and cousin Rebecca Szekeres.
Her mum Rachelle Gibbons said: “Sethunya is very excited to be Meghan’s mini me.”
HARRY’S AUSSIE QUIPS
IN true Aussie style Prince Harry’s first official word on tour has been “G’day” before the Duke of Sussex commented on how great it was there was beer and tea at an afternoon reception at Admiralty House.
“We’re both absolutely delighted to be here and really impressed to see you serving beer and tea at an afternoon reception in true Aussie style,” he said in his first official address of their Royal Australian tour.
“Genuinely thank you for the incredibly warm welcome and the chance to meet so many Aussies from all walks of life and we also genuinely couldn’t think a better place to announce the upcoming baby.”
Prince Harry did not give any hints away as to what the sex of the baby was, pausing before saying “be it a boy or a girl”.
In true Prince Harry style, he kept his official address to Governor-General Peter Cosgrove and guests lighthearted, cracking a few jokes.
“G’day your excellency, ladies and gentlemen, it is obviously great to be back in Australia,” he said.
“Especially even more so this is my wife’s first visit here, so I’m very excited her to show her this incredible country of yours. Perhaps not Kangaroo Flats military training area in Darwin though — probably the last time I go there.
“You will also notice we had a roof on our boat earlier after last year’s downpour and luckily Sydney’s sun is shining today. So thank you for organising the weather.”
The Duke recapped the day’s activities, after spending the morning meeting koalas at Taronga Zoo.
“With some sleeping koalas or drop bears as some of the world know them,” he joked.
Prince Harry said he was grateful to the Australian government for hosting the Invictus Games which the country had embraced with great enthusiasm.
“Australia is of course home to some of the world’s best sporting talent but what you are about to see during these Invictus Games will quite literally astound you,” he said.
“A demonstration of the power of the human spirit, the power of the human spirit, the power of sport to change lives and the pour of feeling part of all of this from the stands. There really is something for everyone.”
Meghan changed outfits for the final official event of the couple’s whirlwind day, reporting wearing a wearing a green Brandon Maxwell pleated button-up shirt dress.
If she wasn’t already clucky enough, Meghan met singer Missy Higgins and her daughter Luna at the reception.
TOUCHING MOMENT WITH WAR WIDOW
THE Duke and Duchess of Sussex have met with thousands of adoring fans outside the Sydney Opera House this afternoon.
But no one has stolen Prince Harry’s heart more than Daphne Dunne — the 98-year-old war widow who famously stole a kiss from Harry when he visited in 2015.
After camping out for him all morning at the Opera House, Daphne and Harry have today shared another special moment in the crowd.
The pair exchanged words and Harry received a purple envelope from the widow.
She also met Meghan Markle for the first time, with all the cameras on the pair as they shared a touching moment within the crowd about their baby announcement.
“Congratulations, I think that’s marvellous,” said Daphne to Meghan. “It’s just what Harry needs.”
“I’ve seen your shoes, they’re very cool,” chimed in Harry. “Have you dyed your hair a shade of pink?”
“It’s fantastic,” added Meghan. “I’m so happy to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about you. All good things.”
“I think it’s wonderful, the two of you,” Daphne replied.
She kissed both the Duke and Duchess and gave them cards and flowers as gifts.
“Oh what’s this? This is fantastic,” Meghan said. “Enjoy the rest of the day. Hopefully next time we see you we’ll have a little one with us.”
Speaking to news.com.au earlier today, Daphne said she thought Prince Harry would make a “marvellous dad”.
“It’s exciting now because his wife is going to have a baby,” she said. “It’s a very exciting time for them … just marvellous.
“It’s what he’s always wanted. He will be a marvellous dad. He won’t let anything stand in his way and he will be so gentle and loving. This should be an Australian baby.”
Asked for her thoughts on what Meghan would be like as a mum, Daphne said: “Meghan will be out of this world. They are beautiful together. They show their affection … it’s lovely. Their affection just comes out, so instead of the rain pouring out it’s their affection.”
Daphne is a mother-of-one, with two grandchildren. Reflecting on her own experience as a parent, she said: “The hardest bit will be finding their way. They will be frightened too … you don’t know if you’re doing the right or wrong thing.
“He’s a wonderful friend … that’s how I feel about him. He’s my favourite royal and so good-looking too.
“I’m sorry he’s taken!”
Asked what the pair spoke about during their 2015 encounter, she said Harry was drawn to her late husband’s Victoria Cross, which she was wearing.
“We were chatting for a little while and they kept saying to him, ‘We’ve got to go, we’ve got to go’, and he didn’t worry about that. He just continued on with what he was doing, which was talking to me, and then when he started to go he gave me a kiss on the cheek,” she told the Today show this morning.
“And then he came back later and gave me another one because I was lopsided, and had to have another kiss to put me right.”
Asked if she had any gifts for them, Daphne said: “Flowers and that they will be very, very happy. I think that’s more important than any gift — to wish them happiness.”
Bless.
A lot of people are handing gifts over to the pair, including roses and Australian chocolates, and congratulating them on the baby announcement.
The pair will go from the Opera House back to Admiralty House in Kirribilli later this afternoon, where they will join in a reception hosted by the Governor-General.
The Duchess has added a trench coat to the cream Karen Gee dress she began the day in, hiding any sign of her barely-there bump.
CROWDS OUT IN FULL FORCE TO GREET ROYALS
In a spectacular welcome to Australia, Prince Harry and a glowing Meghan Markle have been greeted by thousands of royal fans beneath the sails of Sydney’s iconic Opera House.
And the crowd outside may have just witnessed Prince Harry’s first ‘dad’ moment.
The Duke — who’s expecting his first child with Meghan Markle — had some stern words for Sydney teenager Emerson Yee, 15, after spotting her handmade poster, which read: “I gave up perfect school attendance to see you.”
“He came over and told me not to miss school again,” she told news.com.au.
Despite the joking reprimand, Emerson was thrilled with her royal encounter.
Meanwhile, her friend Tara, also 15, revealed that Meghan had promised she’d consider her name for the royal baby.
“She said she’d consider ‘Tara’!” she said.
An estimated 4,000 people gathered along the forecourt to meet them and celebrate the news.
After watching a rehearsal from the Bangarra Dance Theatre inside the Opera House, the Duke and Duchess appeared on the steps of the western boardwalk just after 12.30pm and were met by NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian.
Helicopters whirled in the skies and fans waving Australian flags cheered as the pair slowly made their way down a barricaded walkway, surrounded by minders. Exceeding the allotted 15 minutes for the walk, they stopped to chat to royal fans and accepted flowers, stuffed toys and artwork.
After meeting the couple, one girl called her parents and shared: “He just took my phone! He took a photo of me and Meghan!”
Onlookers began lining up along the barricades from 8am, with some passing the time by singing songs like Waltzing Matilda as the couple’s arrival neared.
One large sign read: “Congratulations to Harry and Meghan — the proudest parents to be.”
While days of rain and grey skies threatened to hang around for today’s appearance, the clouds began to clear over the Harbour and provided the perfect backdrop for the couple’s first major public appearance on their 16 day Pacific tour.
At the end of the walk, the royal couple were greeted by a specially selected group mums and daughters.
Sarah Legge, 41, from Mount Colah surprised her eight-year-old daughter Alice with today’s mission to see the couple. She never thought they’d get to meet them.
“We thought we’d maybe just get a glimpse through a car window,” she said.
Alice said she has loved Prince Harry and Meghan “since their wedding”.
“She’s kind and pretty,” Alice said. “I told her she’s my role model and she told me I’m really kind. She asked what I wanted to be when I grow up — and I said royalty. She said no ones ever said that.”
As fans cheered and begged for more time, the couple were escorted to a waiting motorcade.
SECURITY BEEFED UP OVER OPERA HOUSE
If you needed reassurance that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be safe on their journey down under, look no further than this:
Police snipers have been stationed on top of the Opera House in preparation for the royal couple’s arrival.
There is a heavy security presence outside the Sydney Opera House on the ground too.
Dozens of uniformed police and plainclothes officers have been sweeping the area for hours with sniffer dogs. Royal fans, meanwhile, have had to undergo X-ray bag checks to gain access to the Opera House forecourt before taking their places along the metal barricades.
There are also several police cars with flashing lights blocking the Opera House driveway, as helicopters fly overhead.
Source: news.com.au
