King-to-be of hearts: William is greeted by just a few of his many female admirers at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney today A week ago the monarchy was all but dead in Australia and the march towards republicanism appeared inexorable.
But the Royal Family's popularity has been given a significant boost Down Under by Prince William's visit - even despite his four-letter slip today in front of prime minister Kevin Rudd.
Faced with a group of young rap fans, Prince William wasn't stuck for words.
Unfortunately, though, they weren't really the sort a future king should be using.
After one teenager praised William's choices of Kanye West and Linkin Park as his favourite musicians, the prince replied: 'I've said something right then. I normally get the p*** taken out of me for my choice of music. Bit rappy . . . I can't do beat box though.'
King-to-be of hearts: William is greeted by just a few of his many female admirers at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney today
Honey, meet the prince: William makes a new friend as he does a walkabout in the Royal Botanic Gardens
A woman steals a kiss from William at Sydney's Royal Botanic Gardens and then poses with the crowdIt was hardly a regal choice of words - especially as William was standing right next to Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd at the time.
Royal aides, however, were adamant that he had done nothing wrong.
A spokesman for the prince's office at St James's Palace denied that he had broken royal protocol, saying: 'Prince William was using colloquial language at a very informal engagement with a group of young rappers.
'He was simply making a joke at his own expense. Kevin Rudd wasn't offended.'
The Australian leader also sought to play down the incident.
Last night a spokesman for Mr Rudd was unavailable for comment but sources in his office insisted that William's fruity language was 'just a turn of phrase'.
'There was absolutely no offence taken. The prime minister didn't even notice, to be honest,' said one.
Waiting for their prince: William was popular with the ladies in Sydney
'Bit rappy': Prince William made his language slip-up when he met these young rap fans at the Ted Noffs FoundationMr Rudd had invited the prince to visit the Ted Noffs Foundation, a hostel for homeless teenagers who have suffered problems with drink and drugs.
And while he still plans to push for a referendum on Australia becoming a republic, Wills' presence will have given traditionalists fresh hope of keeping the British monarch as their head of state.
Republicans do a solid job here of making the cutting ties inevitable, but Wills has succeeded in winning hearts and minds like no Royal since Diana.
An ITV poll revealed that 58 per cent of Australians surveyed would rather Prince William became King than Prince Charles, who polled 30 per cent.
And a majority said they would be keener to retain the monarchy if Wills followed his grandmother on to the throne.
Even if that is an unlikely scenario, banners such as he saw today, reading 'You're King In Our Eyes Will' must put a spring in the prince's step.
The prime minister has been heavily criticised by the Australian media for failing to show an interest in William's three-day visit to Australia and the meeting was hastily arranged a couple of days ago.
There has been no shortage of enthusiasm from the public, however, with a warm response as William went walkabout in the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney.
Prince of the dance: William watches a traditional ceremony at Victoria Lodge in Sydney today
The people's prince: William, accompanied by New South Wales Premier Kristina Keneally (left) shares a laugh with Aboriginal dancers after being greeted with a welcoming dance in Sydney earlier todayHe appears to be genuinely enjoying his tour of the antipodes, whether it's sharing barbeques with prime ministers, playing the Wii with schoolchildren, taking part in peculiar ceremonies with ancient cultures or simply kissing babies and their adoring mums in sunny streets.
'I never expected anything like this and have been so touched,' William said, and no wonder, he's been cheered everywhere he's gone.
His brand of self-depreciating charm and youthful royal glamour has gone down well with the famously laid-back Aussies, while the late Princess of Wales still enjoys near mythical status here - more often than not to the detriment of his father.
From the moment he touched down at Sydney airport on Tuesday following his equally successful official tour of New Zealand, William has been able to do no wrong.
The crowds, many of them carrying photographs of the prince with his mother on their first visit to Australia in 1983, have followed him from engagement to engagement, waiting for up to four hours in temperatures of more than 86F for the briefest glimpse of their young idol driving past in his official motorcade.
Among their number was grandmother Barbara Selby who showed William a large photograph of the Princess meeting her daughter and grandson when he visited the Redfern Aboriginal Community Centre on Tuesday.
In the line of fire: The Prince awed his Australian instructor with his 'remarkable' handling of the rifleMrs Selby said she had brought the picture, taken when Princess Diana opened the Victor Chang building at St Vincent's Hospital in 1997, to show him how much the people of Australia had loved his mother.
'I had to come. I wanted him to know that we loved his mum,' she said.
William - who unlike his brother, Harry, normally shies away from speaking about Diana as he feels so protective of her memory - has appeared genuinely touched by people's recollections of her.
He tucked another picture of her given to him by a well-wisher in New Zealand in the pocket of his suit and was said to have looked at it in private afterwards.
While many well-wishers have been struck by the prince's physical resemblance to the princess, including the same shy smile and coy way of looking up through his sooty eyelashes, others, including Aboriginal leader Michael Mundine, have described him as 'having his mother's heart' for the kind of causes normally shunned by society.
Mr Mundine was speaking after William chose to visit the Redfern Aboriginal Centre in the heart of inner-city Sydney. Until very recently the area has been plagued by violence, rioting and criminality. Even the police refuse to attend call outs at night amid fears for their safety.
'William asked to come to see us - something that no other white man, let alone a member of royalty, has ever done. That is something the Aboriginal people will never forget and we believe he will make a fine king,' he said.
William inspects a fish found up to 5,000 metres beneath the ocean with Dr. Alan Williams from Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, onboard the research vessel Southern Surveyor in Sydney today
Prince William along with the Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd visited a homeless people's hostel in Sydney city centre todayConstitutional experts say that the prince's visit will almost certainly lead to a spike in popularity for the Royal Family in a country where 59 per cent of the population are in favour of breaking ties with the British monarchy.
Others, however, urge caution in reading too much into the wall-to-wall television coverage of his trip.
They argue that many of those who have followed William's progress are already members of the remaining 41 per cent - or simply want the excitement of brushing shoulders with any international celebrity.
Later the pin-up prince turned into a professional soldier with a truly impressive display of firepower.
He took part in a live firing exercise with paratroopers on a visit to an army barracks and managed to rattle off a near-perfect score.
William, who trained at Sandhurst and joined the Blues and Royals as a tank troop commander before switching to a career in the RAF, joined members of the 3rd Battalion The Royal Australian Regiment at Holdsworthy Barracks on the outskirts of Sydney.
He was handed an F88 Austeyr rifle, the personal weapon of Australian soldiers, and invited to try his luck taking shots.
Lying on the floor and wearing earplugs, William took aim at the targets - both static and moving - and attempted to hit a 30cm diameter circle in the centre. He let off 100 rounds of 5.56mm ammunition, hitting the targets every time.
What the papers say today: Prince Williams's tour has taken the Australian media by storm - and even Rupert Murdoch's highbrow Financial Review featured his picture on its front pageLance Corporal Peter Phillips, a section commander from Alpha company, said: 'If we had soldiers come in and do that on their first day they would be a master shot in a couple of weeks. He's not familiar with the rifle we gave him, so that's a truly excellent result.'
Mr Rudd had admitted yesterday that despite the success of the tour he would continue to pursue a republican agenda if he were to secure a second term in office later this year - which means another referendum could be held on the issue as early as 2011.
'Her Majesty is well loved in Australia and we'll have a referendum on becoming a republic in due season,' she said.
'The Rudd government is committed in terms of its pre-election platform and the platform of the party in moving Australia towards a republic. That continues to be the party's position.'
'Those who might think the prince is a bit of a spunk at 27, will probably have lost interest by the time they are voting at the next republican referendum. Prince Charming today, but King Will seems a crown too far away,' said the Herald Sun.
For his part, the prince has been careful to diplomatically skirt around the issue. Like the Queen, he is very much of the opinion that it is a matter for the people of Australia and all that can be done is demonstrate his family's commitment to their position by deed, not word.
Tomorrow William embarks on his last day of engagements in the country by visiting the bushfire ravaged communities on the outskirts of Melbourne before returning home to continue his training as an RAF Search and Rescue pilot.
Aides say the trip, although brief, has made such an impression on him that he has vowed to return as soon possible. Whether that will be as a member of its ruling family or simply another fun-seeking young traveller remains to be seen.
source: Dailymail
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