Prince Harry has tried his hand at Aussie Rules football today in Melbourne’s west, enjoying a kick on the second day of his tour in Australia.
The Duke of Sussex was welcomed to Whitten Oval in Footscray by members of the Western Bulldogs AFL team as part of an event for Movember.
Football stars Tom Liberatore, Adam Treloar and Matthew Kennedy gave Harry a mini-coaching clinic at the oval, taking him through the basics of kicking and handballing in front of a throng of reporters.
Prince Harry showed off his athletic prowess with a kick in Melbourne’s west today. (ABC News)
Movember representatives said the event reflected Harry’s love of sports and his passion for men’s mental health awareness.Â
During a question and answer session on stage, Harry discussed his own focus on improving his mental health as he grew into fatherhood.
“From my perspective, our kids are our upgrade,” he said.
“That’s not how I was taught but that was my take on it — not to say I was an upgrade of my dad or that my kids are an upgrade of me.
“That’s the approach that I take, to know that with the world the way that it goes, the kids that we bring up in today’s world need to be an upgrade.”
Harry seemed particularly focused on his handballs as the Wiggles played behind him. (AP: Jonathan Brady)
The Duke of Sussex also shared the challenges of balancing work and parenting.
“Every single time I went to work and I came back — if I was stressed, the moment that I held [my son] Archie, he would start crying,” he said.
He said he was now “fortunate enough” to work from home.
After the session inside the facility, Harry took to the field to meet with the families of players, kick the footy with some children and watch a training session.
The event was also attended by some of The Wiggles, providing Harry with a taste of Australia’s music scene.
In a bold possible recruiting move, the club also presented Harry with Western Bulldogs guernseys featuring the names of his children, Archie and Lilibet.
Prince Harry was given some personalised guernseys to take home with him. (AP: Jonathan Brady)
Harry seemed particularly enamoured with the Sherrin, taking one with him as he left the ground.
He and Meghan Markle arrived in Melbourne on Monday, beginning a multi-day tour of the country with a visit to Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital.
They also visited the Australian National Veterans’ Art Museum, and joined a pottery class with the children of veterans.Â
The pair will also take trips to Canberra and Sydney during the visit, and make commercial speaking engagements and appearances at ticketed events.
Harry will fly to the nation’s capital later today for events at the Australian War Memorial, where he will meet with Indigenous veterans, and attend a Last Post Ceremony.