FRASER ISLAND, Australia, Oct 22, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Prince Harry greeted an
Aboriginal community on the stunning World Heritage-listed Fraser Island
Monday as his pregnant wife Meghan took a break from official duties during
the royal couple’s Australian tour.
The pair have already travelled to Sydney, Melbourne and the regional town
of Dubbo since touching down in Australia last Monday, drawing thousands of
screaming fans to their events.
The visit to Fraser Island off the coast of Queensland state took on a
different tone, as the Duke of Sussex was greeted with a traditional
Aboriginal ceremony from the local Butchulla people on the peaceful shores of
Lake McKenzie.
Harry later walked barefoot on the soft white sands of the lake, a source
of drinking water for the Butchulla people, and splashed water on his face.
Fraser is the world’s largest sand island and the prince was due to unveil
a plaque to dedicate the holiday site’s acres of rainforests to the Queen’s
Commonwealth Canopy project.
His visit will also touch on other environmental issues, a cause close to
his father Prince Charles’ heart, when he meets with park rangers to learn
more about the island’s plants and animals.
Later, he will meet with two Hervey Bay paramedics, who are being
recognised for granting a dying woman’s final wish by taking her to the
beach.
A photo of a paramedic beside a stretcher facing the ocean was posted on
Facebook last year and went viral around the world.
The royal couple had earlier arrived in Queensland by plane before
travelling to the island separately.
Harry boarded a barge, a route used by tourists to travel to the island,
while the Duchess of Sussex took a different vessel and then retreated to a
private residence.
Her choice of dress, a maroon number with white polka dots, sparked
excitement in Queensland, as the deep brownish-red happens to also been the
official colour of the state.
The pair are due to visit Fiji and Tonga after Fraser Island.