Melbourne royal watchers aren’t backward in coming forward – and Duchess Meghan is certainly not shying away from the probing public questions.
So when cheeky Charlie Wolf, aged 12 and a student from from Middle Park Primary School who was travelling on a tram with the Duke and Duchess, asked Meghan, “Have you got any names for the baby?”, she was ready with an answer.
“We haven’t decided. We’ve been given a long list of names from everyone and we’re going to sit down and look at them, have a talk about it,” she said.
Ella Burns, 12, from Albert Park Primary, who was next to Charlie and also talking to the Duchess said she thought Meghan might be trying to skate around the question. “She said she had a list of names but I don’t think they were sure and they hadn’t thought of one as it was still quite early.”
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Meghan and Harry greeted students on the tram to South Melbourne beach. (Image: Getty Images)
We hope the Duchess remembered to touch on! (Image: Getty Images)
For royals taking public transport is novelty and Prince Harry continued to follow in his grandmother’s footsteps today during the couple’s whirlwind trip to Melbourne when they stepped aboard one of Melbourne’s trams to take the short hop from Albert Park Primary School to South Melbourne Beach with a group of school students.
The Melbourne trams may have been operating for more than a century but the iconic form of transport is still something of a rarity for royals. Her Majesty The Queen took the tram when she visited Melbourne in 2011 and today Harry and Meghan looked equally delighted.
Ella asked Meghan what she liked to do in her spare time. “She said she loved relaxing and watching TV and shows.” And when Ella followed up with “which are your favourite shows” the Duchess said “there are so many to choose from.”
D’Artagnan Holt,18, an aspiring actor from Elwood College, was incredibly excited to be sitting next to Meghan and when she asked what he wanted to do when he left school, he told her drama and acting. “Meghan said that it was a good industry here in Australia.”
Felix Asser-McCallum,12, was opposite Harry and told the Prince that his grandma had danced with Prince Philip in Canberra a long time ago. “He said cool. That’s great,” explained a very proud and awestruck Felix.
And 12-year-old Lola Marinis, from Middle Park Primary School, summed it up for all of the students: Today was “a once in a lifetime experience,” she said. “I feel like the luckiest girl in the world right now.”
And then in a trice it was all over and the royal couple walked past hundreds of cheering fans onto South Melbourne beach.
The Duchess made a quick outfit change ahead of their visit to the beach. She wore a black Club Monaco dress paired with her tour-favourite camel trench coat by Martin Grant – and a pair of flats. (Image: Getty Images)
The pair met with volunteers who clean the beach. (Image: Getty Images)
Hand in hand on South Melbourne beach. (Image: Getty Images)
Prince Harry and Meghan – opting for a pair of flats – joined students from Albert Park Primary School, Port Melbourne Primary School and Albert Park College who regularly comb the foreshore for rubbish, and volunteers from community group BeachPatrol, whose members work with the schools and clean the foreshore as well.
The Prince was heard asking the children about climate change being part of their school syllabus as well as their efforts collecting and collating rubbish.
“What is the most regular thing you find on the beach?’ he said.
“Straws?”
Albert Park College student Melisand, 14, was among those to meet the royal duo.
“It feels really good to know they are interested in plastics and what we are finding on the beach as well as different ways we can reduce straws because that’s a major issue on these beaches.
“He recommended that maybe we don’t need as many straws but if we do need them we should look maybe into metal or bamboo.
“It was exciting. It’s nice to know they are real people and they care.”
Port Melbourne Primary School pupil Amelia, 11, said the duke and duchess also asked about microplastics, which can hurt marine life and humans.
“They said that’s why humans are now starting to care because it goes into our bodies,” she said.
“It was pretty cool. They really cared about it which was really good.”
Thousands of royal fans greeted the couple in Melbourne. (Image: Getty Images)
The bayside outing was the last event of today’s Melbourne visit.
Their Royal Highnesses now return to Sydney where they will tomorrow visit Bondi Beach.
WATCH: Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan meet fans in Melbourne:
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