If Prince William was not actually invested as the Prince of New South Wales before he left Sydney, it could only have been due to an oversight by the authorities.
With the cheers of the crowd still ringing in his ears, the Prince’s first visit to Australia since he was a baby is being widely hailed as a triumph, drawing comparisons with his mother, the late Diana, Princess of Wales.
Yesterday, from his impeccable performance on an Australian Army rifle range to his conversation with a disadvantaged youngster about rap music — an exchange that was more successful than anyone might have imagined — William gave the impression of a Prince who could do no wrong.
The newspaper headlines are already the stuff of which St James’s Palace could scarcely dream. “King of the Kids” said one front page about his meeting with a group of children; “How Willie Wombat charmed The Block” said another about his visit to the inner-city suburb of Redfern, a focal point of Aboriginal dissent.
The Age newspaper said: “The young, tall and handsome Prince William, in his two-day charm offensive in Sydney, may have done more to set back the republican cause than anything since the 1999 referendum.”
Advertisement
Before he had even started William appeared to have won over the female population of Sydney; yesterday it was his chance to see if the Army would be as impressed. At the firing range at Holsworthy the Prince, who has spent 4½ years with the Armed Forces, shot at targets 100m away with an F88 Austeyr, a rifle he had not previously used, and a Minimi machinegun.
With the rifle, getting his shots within a spread of 150mm would have been deemed a pass; Prince William got his spread down to 104mm. “For someone who has just picked up a weapon, that is excellent,” said Lance Corporal Peter Phillips, a section commander with Alpha Company of 3rd Battalion Royal Australian Regiment.Corporal Barry Blenman, an Afghanistan veteran who spoke to the Prince, said: “He seems like a good bloke . . . he seems pretty genuine.”
At a homeless centre the Prince and Kevin Rudd, the Prime Minister, were treated to a rap performance by four disadvantaged youngsters.
“Awesome!” the Prince said. “Get them signed up straight away!” Asked about his own taste in music, William said: “Mine is very varied. A bit of rock, a bit of Linkin Park, Kanye West.” “That’s my man!” said 16-year-old Austin Anyimba. After the laughter died down, the Prince added: “I’ve done something right then. Quite rappy [taste in music]; I normally get the p*** taken out of me for my interest in music.”
Mr Anyimba’s regard for the Prince grew when he was told that the Prince had slept rough in sub-freezing temperatures to raise publicity for Centrepoint, the homelessness charity of which he is patron, “I like it,” he said. “He shows love for the people.”
Advertisement
Chris Reason, who has been covering the visit for Channel 7, said the Prince was “doing exceptionally well” and that his visit to Redfern, an area with a high crime rate and drug problem, was historic. “For someone of his stature to go there was deeply appreciated. They embraced him with a warmth and excitement,” he said.
“He is carrying on the legacy of Diana. Australians are a cynical and hard bunch with a rebellious streak. At heart most of them want to have a republic. But they have a genuine affection for this member of the Royal Family. The previous generation — Charles, Camilla — have not been particularly welcomed or appreciated here but William and Harry have started to turn that around.”
Whether the warm welcome given to the Prince, who is today visiting victims of last year’s bush fires in Victoria, will have a bearing on whether Australia severs its links with the Crown is another matter. Mr Rudd is a committed republican who says there will be a referendum on whether to drop the Queen as head of state eventually, although the Government has said it is not an immediate priority.
The popularity of Prince William may do little to alter the drift to republicanism, but if the visit had been a disaster, or just a damp squib, it would have provided ammunition to those wishing to cut ties with the monarchy.