Prince Harry salutes Australian navy on first official visit

Prince Harry

Eun Kyung Kim
TODAY

3 hours ago

Rob Griffith / AP

Prince Harry glided through Sydney's harbor aboard a Navy ship on Saturday, as thousands of people crowded the shoreline to catch a glimpse.

Prince Harry, 29, welcomed a convoy of naval ships Saturday while attending the International Fleet Review during his first official visit to Australia.

The event featured 40 warships, a 100-gun salute and 8,000 sailors from more than a dozen nations. The week-long celebration, which kicked off in Sydney Harbor, commemorates the Royal Australian Navy's 100-year anniversary.

Prince Harry joined Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott on board the naval base HMAS Leeuwin to meet with sailors and spectators alike. He also attended a reception hosted by Abbott at his official residence, the Kirribilli House in Sydney, which included a 30-minute fireworks show.

DAN HIMBRECHTS / AFP - Getty Images

Prince Harry meets members of the public during a walk around Campbell's Cove in Sydney.

The visit to Oz was Prince Harry’s first official trip, although he has toured the country before. He was last in Australia in 2003 during a “gap year” he took from school.

This time around, Captain Wales, as the prince is known in the British military, arrived on behalf of Britain and as a representative of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.