GettyPrince Harry did something which made a young fan’s day when he met him at Dubbo airport while on the royal tour.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are currently on their 16-day tour, visiting Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga to take part in royal engagements and meet adoring fans.
One of their younger admirers took a shine to Prince Harry as the couple arrived in the drought-stricken town of Dubbo in northwestern New South Wales, where they were met with throngs of schoolchildren waving flags and holding welcome messages at Dubbo Airport.
GettyFive-year-old Luke Vincent, who has Down syndrome, waited patiently for his turn to meet Harry and Meghan and was overjoyed when he was finally able to hug them – so much so that he could barely tear himself away from the delighted parents-to-be.
He handed Meghan a bunch of flowers before turning his attention to Prince Harry.
Aside from being a member of the royal family, there was one thing about Harry which Luke especially loved – his beard.
The school’s headteacher, Anne Van Dartel, explained the five-year-old’s favourite person in the world is Santa Claus; so even though Harry is a bit younger and a bit more red-headed than the festive figure, his beard was enough to make Luke happy.
In an adorable act, as reported by the Daily Mail, Prince Harry bent down to allow Luke to stroke his facial hair, making the royal beam with delight at the joy he was able to bring the young boy.
Harry crouched down as Luke explored all of the hair on his head, while wife Meghan looked on lovingly.
GettySpeaking about the lovely scene, the headteacher said:
He got a hug from Meghan and then Harry bent down to speak to him and Luke didn’t give him any choice. Luke’s favourite person in the world is Santa Claus, who has a beard. So he rubbed Harry’s beard.
It’s been a wonderful experience for these little country kids to meet people they’ve only ever seen on TV.
Heartwarming!
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.