Prince Harry farewelled at Opera House

Prince Harry has charmed a crowd of hundreds and turned down a marriage proposal at the Sydney Opera House.

His Royal Highness Prince Harry meets the public during a visit to the Sydney Opera House in Sydney,  May 7, 2015. (AAP Image//Dean Lewins)

His Royal Highness Prince Harry meets the public during a visit to the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, May 7, 2015. (AAP Image//Dean Lewins)

Prince Harry has charmed a crowd of hundreds and turned down a marriage proposal at the Sydney Opera House.

The uniformed prince met NSW Premier Mike Baird at the famous building and spent more than half an hour greeting eager royalists. Many in the crowd held signs saying, "Marry me Harry", "His Royal Hotness" and "Gingers Rule".

Victoria McRae, 21, wore a sequined Australian flag dress and a plastic gold crown as she proposed to the prince.

Harry told her he'd "have to think about that" and then bit his knuckles, she told reporters on Thursday. She also surprised the prince with a kiss.

"I got to kiss him. And I got to kiss the premier, who I didn't know was the premier," said the Dee Why student.

"I got Harry's lips, I only got the premier on the cheek."

The kiss was reminiscent of the incident in 1979 when the prince's father, Prince Charles, was famously embraced by a "stranger" on a Perth beach.

Ms McRae says it's not the first time she's popped the question to the 30-year-old prince. On one occasion in 2013 she kayaked onto Sydney harbour with a sign.

Other lucky fans on Thursday included children from St Mary's South Public School who were on an excursion when they were picked out of the crowd to greet Harry as he arrived.

They laughed and cheered as the prince called up one of their female guardians, put his arm around her and posed for a photo.

Anne Woods gave the fifth in line to the throne a stuffed koala to share with his new niece Princess Charlotte.

He thanked her for the gift but told her he wanted to keep it all to himself.

After finishing with the public, Prince Harry spoke with the premier in front of the Opera House before walking inside and departing for a closed meeting with Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove at Admiralty House.

He then went to Macquarie University Clinic in Sydney's northwest to meet British officer Ali Spearing, who is being fitted with prosthetics after losing both legs while on deployment in Afghanistan in 2011.

The day of engagements in Sydney comes at the end of the prince's month-long Australian military deployment. He will be in Wellington on Saturday to kick off his official New Zealand tour.

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Source: AAP


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