Harry dances with Australian girl before sailing around Sydney Harbour

The Duke of Sussex danced with a four-year-old Australian girl before sailing around Sydney’s world-famous harbour with the Duchess of Sussex and Invictus Games supporters.

Harry and Meghan delighted the public by posing for photos next to the Sydney Opera House’s Man O’War steps, before taking to the water on a boat containing past competitors in the biennial games.

Before jumping on their boat, the couple met veteran Joel Vanderzwan, who presented them with custom thongs (flip-flops) featuring the playful inscriptions ‘G’day Hazza’ and ‘G’day Megs’.

After receiving the gift on Friday, Harry joked that he normally receives “budgie smugglers” from Invictus Australia.

The couple also met Mr Vanderzwan’s four-year-old daughter, Charlotte, his wife Alexandra and his nine-month-old twin sons – who, in a remarkable coincidence, are named Harrison and William.

Meghan told Charlotte her husband was “very good at twirling”, before Harry stood up to twirl the girl around after she asked to dance with the prince.

The couple then took to the water, with their vessel being surrounded by media boats attempting to film the couple, as a helicopter flew above them amid intense press interest in the couple’s visit to Australia.

A New South Wales police boat also sailed close by in the harbour as people watched on from the opera house.

The boat that Harry and Meghan boarded was specially designed to be accessible for those with wheelchairs, so injured veterans could board.

A large boat that went past the couple’s sailing vessel beeped its horn as passengers waved at Harry and Meghan on a sunny day on the water during the last day of their Australia visit.

While sailing around the Harbour, Invictus Australia said participants would share “first-hand accounts of how the organisation provides year-round support, using sport as a vital tool for recovery, rehabilitation, social connection and proactive wellbeing”.

Michael Hartung, chief executive of Invictus Australia, said: “Having the Duke and Duchess return to Sydney Harbour, where sailing first joined the Invictus movement, is a full-circle moment.

“It’s a chance to show that Invictus in Australia isn’t just a biannual event – it’s a daily, grassroots movement. By the end of 2026, we will have supported over 30,000 veterans and their families through community-based sport.”

Harry previously visited the Sydney Opera House during his 2015 army secondment and his 2018 royal tour with Meghan.

Hundreds gathered at the famous landmark in 2015 to greet Harry during a farewell walkabout, after he came to the end of a month-long attachment with the Australian Defence Force (ADF).

While in Australia in 2015, Harry spent time training on helicopter simulators at barracks in Sydney, trained with the Special Air Service in Perth, and in Darwin, he worked with members of Norforce, the mostly Indigenous unit which patrols northern Australia.

The Invictus Games involve 22 nations and around 500 competitors, with inspiration for the games coming from Harry’s 2013 visit to the Warrior Games, which brings together hundreds of injured American military personnel to compete in adaptive sports as part of their recovery.

Australia hosted the Invictus Games in Sydney in 2018 and the next Invictus Games will be held at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre in July 2027.