Prince thanks Sydney for 'terrific' visit

20 Jan 2010, 5:41 pm   -   Source: AAP
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Prince William has joked that he wants to buy a house in Sydney after a "terrific" couple of days in the harbour city.

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Prince William has joked that he wants to buy a house in Sydney after a "terrific" couple of days in the harbour city.

The 27-year-old royal showed his cheeky side at a relaxed barbecue lunch in his honour.

He playfully heckled from the crowd and cracked jokes before taking an impromptu spin around Sydney Harbour in a jet boat.

About 100 people were invited to the lunch in the picturesque Royal Botanic Gardens, taking in panoramic views of the sparkling harbour, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House.

The MC of the day, TV star Daniel MacPherson, told the crowd he felt comfortable without a jacket and with rolled-up shirt sleeves because the prince was dressed the same way.

But William promptly yelled from the crowd that he wouldn't be caught wearing pants as tight as MacPherson's.

"It's not everyday that you get heckled by royalty," MacPherson told the crowd.

“Wonderful welcome”

In the only public remarks of his visit so far, the prince thanked Sydney for such a wonderful welcome.

"I've had the most warm welcome ever, not just with the weather but with all of Sydney people," the prince told the crowd.

"Thank you so, so much. It's been a terrific couple of days in Sydney and because of that I've joked that I'm going to buy a house in Sydney.

“So if anybody's got any properties for sale, please let me know. What a view it is, too."

The barbecue was held on the second day of the prince's three-day visit to Australia, his first since visiting as a child with his parents, Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana.
 
NSW Premier Kristina Keneally said Australians had been captivated by the royal family's visit more than 20 years ago.

"It's well remembered that (you) first came here in the arms of your mother, the well-beloved Princess Diana, in 1983," Ms Keneally told the crowd.

"It's likely that your memories of that visit are scant but you and your mother won many hearts amongst the people of this country."

The prince looked relaxed although a little flushed from the heat as he chatted to guests, including young people from several community groups, the Rural Fire Service and police.

The barbecue was William's final official engagement before he flies to Victoria on Thursday.

Firing with diggers

Earlier, the Prince joined army veterans from Afghanistan and Iraq for live firing exercises at Sydney's Holsworthy Barracks.

The 27-year-old, who was an officer in the Royal Household Cavalry and is training to become an RAF Search and Rescue pilot, shot about 23 live rounds from an F88 Austeyr rifle and about 100 rounds from a F89 Minimi machine gun.

He joined about 30 members of Alpha Company, 3rd Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment, on the marksmanship training range, shooting static and moving targets.

"We do keep score, just between ourselves, so we'll be keeping scores on how he does, for sure," Private Jace Barnett said.

"It would be a bit embarrassing if he beat us. But I'm sure he's very good."

The prince, who had shed the tie and jacket he wore during his first day of engagements in Sydney on Tuesday, was greeted at about 9.20am by commanding officers including Lieutenant Colonel Trent Scott, before chatting with diggers.

Among those he met were about a dozen soldiers who saw active service in Afghanistan during a six-month tour of duty last year. During their deployment, the soldiers came under rocket attack from the Taliban and faced a close-quarters ambush.

There were no casualties in either incident, a defence spokesman said.

Iraq soldiers

Other soldiers who met the prince on Wednesday have seen service in Iraq.

"It's great that someone that is so famous has bothered to become a soldier. It's pretty special," Lance Corporal Chris Finn said.

Lance Corporal Matthew Ferndale, 22, said the prince seemed like a normal guy.

"He was asking us about how long we have been in and what we've been doing in the army," he told reporters.

"He just seemed very chilled and just wanted to mix it with the boys."

He added that the prince should have had no trouble firing the guns because he had previously trained on the F89 machine gun and that the F88 rifle was very user-friendly.

Before leaving, the prince posed for photographs with the Battalion.

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