Britain's Harry scales Sydney Harbour Bridge, joins group hug at Bondi
Britain's Prince Harry gives a thumbs-up as he climbs the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Sydney, Australia October 19, 2018. REUTERS/Rick Stevens
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Britain's Prince Harry climbed Australia's Harbour Bridge on Friday, accompanied by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, during a royal tour that broke with the staid routine of such events to involve the royal couple in a group hug on Bondi Beach.
Harry and Morrison smiled as the black, grey and yellow flag of the Invictus Games was hoisted on the Sydney landmark on the eve of the international paralympic event, founded by Harry for military personnel wounded in action, which runs until Oct. 27.
Britain's Prince Harry descends the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Sydney, Australia October 19, 2018. REUTERS/Rick Stevens
"Well done, Harry. Fantastic for all the veterans," said Facebook user Angela Doggett on the social media page of the company that organizes the climbs.Earlier, Harry and his wife, Megan Markle, joined a group hug on Bondi Beach at an event organized by surfers to build awareness of mental health issues.
"Harry said each and every one of us will experience poor mental health at some stage in our lives," Charlotte Connell, one of the participants in the circle, told the Australian Associated Press.
Harry, who has said he sought counseling in his late twenties to deal with the grief of losing his mother Diana, served in the British Army and campaigns to provide mental health help for soldiers who need it.
Britain's Prince Harry waves as he climbs Sydney Harbour Bridge in Sydney, Australia October 19, 2018. REUTERS/Phil Noble
The prince, wearing a garland of blue flowers round his neck, and Meghan one of pink, listened to speakers in the circle for a few minutes before the hug.
Harry, who wore khaki trousers and blue shirt, and Meghan, in an ankle-length striped dress, had kicked off their shoes to sit with members of community group OneWave, whose members wore brightly-colored shirts and flower garlands.
It attacks mental health issues using "saltwater therapy, surfing and fluro," a reference to the vivid clothing worn at the event.
Britain's Prince Harry climbs Sydney Harbour Bridge in Sydney, Australia October 19, 2018. REUTERS/Phil Noble
Harry served in the British Army for 10 years, including two stints in Afghanistan, and now works with several charities, including supporting wounded soldiers. Along with his brother Prince William and his wife Catherine, Harry also set up a mental health charity.
The royal couple, who occasionally clasped hands and posed with a surfboard, are on their first international tour since marrying in May. It will also take them to New Zealand and the South Pacific islands of Fiji and Tonga.
In a stroll on Bondi, the couple, who are expecting their first child in the northern spring, shook hands and posed for photographs with some of the thousands who turned out for the event, snapping pictures and video with their smartphones.
Britain's Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex climbs the Sydney Harbour Bridge with Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison and Invictus Games competitors on the fourth day of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's visit to Australia Thursday October 18, 2018. Dominic Lipinski /Pool via REUTERS
(Reporting by Colin Packham; Editing by Darren Schuettler and Clarence Fernandez)
Britain's Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex (top) climbs the Sydney Harbour Bridge with Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison and Invictus Games competitors on the fourth day of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's visit to Australia Thursday October 18, 2018. Dominic Lipinski/Pool via REUTERSBritain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, meet participants of Fluro Friday, an event organized by surfing community OneWave tackling mental health issues, during their visit to Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia October 19, 2018. Chris Jackson/Pool via REUTERS Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, meet participants of Fluro Friday, an event organized by surfing community OneWave tackling mental health issues, during their visit to Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia October 19, 2018. Dominic Lipinski/Pool via REUTERSBritain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, meet participants of Fluro Friday, an event organized by surfing community OneWave tackling mental health issues, during their visit to Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia October 19, 2018. Dominic Lipinski/Pool via REUTERSBritain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, meet participants of Fluro Friday, an event organized by surfing community OneWave tackling mental health issues, during their visit to Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia October 19, 2018. Dominic Lipinski/Pool via REUTERSBritain's Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, meet participants of Fluro Friday, an event organized by surfing community OneWave tackling mental health issues, during their visit to Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia October 19, 2018. Chris Jackson/Pool via REUTERSBritain's Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, sit with participants of Fluro Friday, an event organized by surfing community OneWave tackling mental health issues, during their visit to Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia October 19, 2018. REUTERS/Phil NobleBritain's Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, pose with participants of Fluro Friday, an event organized by surfing community OneWave tackling mental health issues, during their visit to Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia October 19, 2018. Paul Edwards/Pool via ReutersBritain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, meet participants of Fluro Friday, an event organized by surfing community OneWave tackling mental health issues, during their visit to Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia October 19, 2018. Dominic Lipinski/Pool via REUTERSBritain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, meet participants of Fluro Friday, an event organized by surfing community OneWave tackling mental health issues, during their visit to Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia October 19, 2018. Dominic Lipinski/Pool via REUTERSBritain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, meet participants of Fluro Friday, an event organized by surfing community OneWave tackling mental health issues, during their visit to Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia October 19, 2018. Dominic Lipinski/Pool via REUTERSMeghan, Britain's Duchess of Sussex, meets participants of Fluro Friday, an event organized by surfing community OneWave tackling mental health issues, during their visit to Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia October 19, 2018. Dominic Lipinski/Pool via REUTERSBritain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, meet participants of Fluro Friday, an event organized by surfing community OneWave tackling mental health issues, during their visit to Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia October 19, 2018. Chris Jackson/Pool via REUTERSBritain's Prince Harry hugs a participant of Fluro Friday, an event organized by surfing community OneWave tackling mental health issues, during their visit to Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia October 19, 2018. Chris Jackson/Pool via REUTERSMeghan, Britain's Duchess of Sussex, hugs a participant of Fluro Friday, an event organized by surfing community OneWave tackling mental health issues, during her visit to Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia October 19, 2018. REUTERS/Phil NobleBritain's Prince Harry meets members of the public during a visit to Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia October 19, 2018. REUTERS/Rick StevensBritain's Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex meet members of OneWave, a local surfing community group raising awareness for mental health and wellbeing, during a visit to Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia October 19, 2018. REUTERS/Rick Stevens
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