Prince Harry & Meghan Markle Promise ‘Favorite Aussie’ They Will Return With Royal Baby

On the first day of their 16-day tour through Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, and Tonga, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, met with an old friend of the prince’s.

Per ET Online, Harry first met with Daphne Dunne when he visited Australia in 2015. He then saw her again in 2017 when he made his last visit to the country. Today, while in Sydney, Harry noticed the now-98-year-old woman sitting among the many fans lining the walkway outside Sydney Opera House to greet him and Meghan, and immediately went to say hello to her.

Dunne, who is a war widow, is being described as Harry’s “favorite Aussie,” and was happy to be able to introduce her to Meghan for the first time. The duchess was equally delighted to meet Dunne, greeting her with arms outstretched to hug her. The pregnant duchess then went down on her haunches to chat to Dunne.

“I’m so glad I got to meet you. Harry has told me all about you and your special bond, it’s so lovely you came to see us thank you,” Meghan told her, while Harry added, “I was looking for you earlier and hoped you’d be here, it’s so good to see you again.”

The couple had announced their pregnancy news just hours earlier, and Dunne handed them a card congratulating them on the news. Meghan then said to Dunne that “Hopefully next time we’ll have our little one with us” when they visit Australia to see her again.

Speaking to the Telegraph shortly afterward, Dunne gushed about finally meeting Meghan.

“It was lovely to meet the Duchess Meghan. Harry is a wonderful man and I’m so happy he had found happiness, they both deserved the absolute world together. I congratulated them on their baby and said I wished them all the happiness they deserve.”

Harry first met Dunne back in 2015, and what drew him to her was the Victoria Cross which she wore around her neck. In going over to greet her, he discovered that her first husband had died when he was just 25-years-old during an attack on a Japanese machine gun post in Papua New Guinea. He had posthumously been awarded the medal, according to the Mirror.

The prince spoke to her for much longer than the time he had available on that occasion, and when he finally parted ways with her she kissed him on the cheek. She saw him again last year when he returned to Australia, and couldn’t wait to congratulate him and Meghan on their impending arrival.