Prince displays Aussie larrikinism

It took less than two days in Sydney to turn His Royal Highness Prince William into
a dinkum Aussie larrikin.

On the second day of his hectic official visit, the prince playfully heckled fellow
guests at a barbecue and joked that he was having such a "terrific" time he wanted
to buy a house in the harbour city.
The middle day of his three-day Australian trip was, for the most part, a laid-back
affair, with the prince whipping off his suit and tie and climbing into some casual
gear for lunch beside the gloriously glistening harbour.
It was a typically hot and sunny Sydney summer day and he welcomed the opportunity
for a surprise spin around the harbour on a jet boat, delighting hundreds of
onlookers lining the Opera House steps and foreshore.
During the barbecue - where else but in the Royal Botanic Gardens - the prince
looked relaxed if a touch sunburnt as he mingled with about 100 guests, including
young people from several community groups.
While a jazz band kept things cool, they feasted on NSW produce - prawns from
Ballina, Blue Mountains cheese, lamb from Young and steak from Casino.
In his only public remarks so far, the 27-year-old prince thanked everyone for such
a warm welcome.
"It's been a terrific couple of days in Sydney and because of that I've joked that
I'm going to buy a house in Sydney," he told the guests.
"So if anybody's got any properties for sale, then please let me know.
The last time the prince saw the harbour was as a nine-months-old during a visit
with his parents, Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana.
"I've always wanted to see the Opera House ... the last time I was here I saw it
through very small eyes and I don't quite remember very much about it," he remarked.
Earlier, the prince played it for laughs when he heckled the event's master of
ceremonies, TV star Daniel McPherson.
MacPherson told guests he felt comfortable getting rid of his jacket and rolling up
his shirt sleeves because HRH had dressed down for the occasion.
But Prince William yelled back from the crowd that he wouldn't be caught wearing
pants as tight as MacPherson's.
"It's not every day that you get heckled by royalty," said MacPherson.
Hundreds of onlookers, including hordes of teenage girls, gathered in the gardens to
catch a glimpse of the prince.
"Welcome Willie Wombat", one yelled, a reference to the nickname his mother Diana
gave him during his previous visit.
The prince spent Wednesday morning at Holsworthy Barracks in Sydney's southwest,
joining army veterans from Afghanistan and Iraq for live firing exercises, before
later touring Garden Island on the harbour.
Lance Corporal Matthew Ferndale, 22, said the second in line to the British throne
seemed like any normal guy.
"He was asking us about how long we have been in and what we've been doing in the
army," he told reporters.
"He just seemed very chilled and just wanted to mix it with the boys."
Earlier, the prince, who had stayed at Admiralty House, walked over to Prime
Minister Kevin Rudd's neighbouring Sydney residence, Kirribilli House.
The pair spent a few minutes walking around the garden before travelling together to
the Ted Noffs Foundation's youth centre in Sydney's inner-city.
They listened to a group of teenage hip-hop artists, who rapped about being on
society's "bottom shelf" and "facing a lack of resources".
In a general discussion of musical tastes, Mr Rudd asked Prince William what music
he liked.
The prince replied: "Mine's very varied - I like rock, Linkin Park ... Kanye West".
"I normally get the piss taken out of me for my choice of music.
"I can't do any beatboxing. I'm not so good at that," he said.
The prince and the prime minister also spent more than 30 minutes talking to the
centre's adolescent clients.
Prince William will fly to Victoria on Thursday to visit bushfire-ravaged areas near
Melbourne before returning to Britain on Friday.