Prince Harry got a particularly warm welcome from one schoolboy as he and Meghan Markle visited the outback city of Dubbo, Australia, on their royal tour.
A group of 150 children from nine schools in the area were part of the welcome party. Harry and Meghan were met by local politicians and dignitaries, but it was five-year-old Luke Vincent who stole the show.
The Buninyong Public School pupil was one of the last to be greeted by the royal party and made a beeline for Harry, wrapping his arms around his neck.
After the hug, Luke pulled away and ruffled Harry’s beard.
When the five-year-old was introduced to Meghan, he handed her a bouquet of flowers and embraced her, before going back to hug Harry and give him a kiss on the cheek.
School principal Anne Van Darrel said the youngster was mesmerised with Harry’s facial hair. “He got a hug from Meghan and then Harry bent down to speak to him and Luke didn’t give him any choice,” she said.
“Luke’s favourite person in the world is Santa Claus, who has a beard. So he rubbed Harry’s beard.”
We can’t help but feel the instances of Harry and Meghan being pictured with adorable kids have gone up a notch since the Duchess announced her pregnancy (and we’re totally for it).
During the visit to Dubbo, the Duchess also spoke to farmer Emily Carroll about motherhood and made a fuss of her baby Ruby. The farmer said: “They both had a little tickle with her. She’s normally in bed at 10.30am but we had to stay up for this. She’s done so well.
“Meghan told me that she’s feeling pretty good so far, which is great, and that she’s running on adrenaline. She said they’re doing 76 engagements in 16 days, with maybe one rest in the middle.
“They’re both great with kids.”
