The Duke of Sussex has laid a wreath at the Australian War Memorial (AWM) in Canberra and addressed an Invictus Australia event as part of a brief stop in the nation’s capital.
Prince Harry shook hands with several Indigenous veterans and attended an Indigenous smoking ceremony at the AWM led by Ngunnawal Gomeroi man Michael Bell.
In his Welcome to Country, Mr Bell explained the symbolism of the For our Country memorial which he said “was a yarning and learning circle” that encased a fire.
“We’ve provided a place to commemorate,” Mr Bell said.
“And the significance of the uneven rock represents the difficult journey of our men and women to get in and out of service during the historical periods of exclusion from military service by the authorities.“
The Duke paused for a sombre moment as he took in the memorial.
Prince Harry is at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra alongside AWM Director Matt Anderson. (ABC News: Matt Roberts)
The Duke of Sussex reflects at the For our Country memorial in Canberra. (ABC News: Matt Roberts)
‘Courage does not end’
The Duke later attended a Last Post ceremony on the edge of the Pool of Reflection and addressed an Invictus Australia event attended by a number of wounded and injured personnel.
“To the veterans here this evening, your courage does not end when the uniform comes off,” Prince Harry, who founded Invictus Games in 2014
said.
“Your recovery journeys, often unseen, are acts of strength in their own right.”
“And to your families … They are very much central to this story too,” Prince Harry said.
Prince Harry attends the Last Post ceremony at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. (ABC News: Matt Roberts)
The Duke lays a wreath by the Pool of Reflection as part of the Last Post ceremony. (ABC News: Matt Roberts)
The Duke heralded the power of sport as a recovery tool for veterans and said the Invictus Games held in Australia in 2018 had raised the bar for the event globally.
He said 30,000 Australian veterans had been involved with Invictus Australia.
He announced an inaugural Invictus Australia sports festival would take place in Perth later this year.
Flying solo
The Duke flew solo on a commercial Qantas flight to the capital without the Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle.
He sat in the front row of the plane and there were reports the cabin crew were surprised when they noticed he was on board.
Prince Harry speaks to a room of veterans and their families at an Invictus Australia event in Canberra. (ABC News: Matt Roberts)
He has already visited Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital and a women’s shelter with wife Meghan, and this morning he met members of the Western Bulldogs AFL team for a Movember event.
It is the first time the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been in Australia since 2018, and the first since the couple officially distanced themselves from the royal family.
Prince Harry’s visit to Canberra was brief with his whirlwind tour including more events back in Melbourne on Thursday.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.abc.net.au ’
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