Royal couple and baby George wow Australia

The visit to Australia by Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge has been an outstanding success. It has clearly been a very special experience for the young Royal couple themselves and for the tens of thousands of Australians who have turned out to see them, and the millions who have followed the intense media coverage.

For the last ten days Their Royal Highnesses have traversed Australia, visiting NSW, Queensland, NT, South Australia and Canberra, accompanied by a huge media pack. They have seen some of the best of Australia including the volunteer community, sports, the military and indigenous groups. Youth has been a strong theme. Baby Prince George has attracted massive interest. At Sydney’s Taronga Zoo he met his namesake George the Bilby – the native marsupial was a birth gift from the previous government.

Many people assume that we at the British High Commission were involved in organising the visit. But in fact, as Australia has HM The Queen as its Head of State, it is the Australian government who run the whole programme for TRHs as members of Australia’s Royal Family. They arranged for the Royal couple to visit some of Australia’s most iconic tourist landmarks, from Sydney Opera House and the Blue Mountains, to Uluru. The imagery looked spectacular for the huge international TV audience. I’m sure it will be a boost to Australia’s tourist industry.

Both Royals told me how much they’d enjoyed the visit. As I listened to HRH the Duke addressing a reception at the Australian Parliament, his enormous enthusiasm for Australia shone through. He described it as a magnet for visitors, and noted that it is known as the Lucky Country, but “the harder you work, often the luckier you get”. The affection was mutual: the welcome speeches by PM Tony Abbott and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten were as warm as the greetings from the massed spectators who have followed them around the country.

Many people were very touched that TRHs attended the Dawn Service on ANZAC Day, which begins at 0500am, at Canberra’s National War Memorial. It added a particular poignancy to what is always a very special event and an important part of Australia’s sense of national identity.