Prince Harry may never be king, but he sure knows how to rule on the football pitch.
The 30-year-old royal finished his week-long tour of New Zealand on Saturday with sport, sun and some chats with fans.
He left his suit at home on the final day, and turned up in track pants at The Cloud on Auckland's waterfront to celebrate the coming FIFA under-20 World Cup.
The prince had a kick-around with young female footballers, at one point losing control of the ball and flashing the media a bashful grin as he ran to recover it.
But it was all a warm-up for the main event, in which he stripped off his track pants to reveal a pair of white shorts, and took part in a game of five-a-side football against a team captained by Junior All White Adam Mitchell.
About 300 people, including students from St Heliers School, Westmere School and St Mary's School, packed the stands and cheered loudly.
Prince Harry was smiling and flushed as he held his own against the teenage players from Western Springs Football Club.
Ultimately his team prevailed. Prince Harry scored an impressive winner to secure an 8-7 victory just as the buzzer went off.
Harry's teammate Tom Russell, 15, of Auckland, said the prince was "up to standard".
"I'd definitely have him on my team again. He must have been practising his skills a bit," he said.
Another teammate, Tuyi Byamana, 14, of Auckland, said the prince's goal was stunning.
"He should be playing premier league."
But the win wasn't enough to make it Harry's best moment of the tour.
"There's no highlight for me - the whole trip's just been epic fun," he told reporters on Saturday.
Outside, more than a thousand fans - some wearing tiaras and waving Union Jack flags - turned out to catch a glimpse of the young prince.
Chris William, 29, was one of the lucky ones to chat to Harry, attracting his attention by wearing a mask of his brother William.
"When he looked straight at me, he looked a bit scared," Mr William said.
"Then I just shook his hand and was like 'hey bro', he was like 'hey bro', so it was pretty cool."
After his sporty workout, Prince Harry headed to High Performance Sport, New Zealand's national training centre in Mairangi Bay, where he lifted weights, shot a netball hoop, and did a tour of the facilities.
He will fly back to the United Kingdom on Saturday night where he will finally meet his newborn niece Princess Charlotte.
Share
