Pubdate: Sun, 21 Sep 2003 Source: Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) Copyright: 2003 The Sydney Morning Herald Contact: http://www.smh.com.au/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/441 Author: Andrew West Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Prince+Harry (Prince Harry) STREWTH! PRINCE HARRY WILL CALL AUSTRALIA HOME Prince Harry, the young and rebellious son of the heir to the British throne, is set to touch down in Australia to begin his outback adventure. While details of his arrival remain a closely guarded secret, it is expected the 18-year-old royal will fly into Australia - probably Queensland - today or tomorrow. Provisions have been made for media from England and Australia to attend a press conference with the prince on Tuesday, at a time and place to be notified. Harry is following in the footsteps of his father, Prince Charles, by spending time in Australia's rugged outdoors before returning to England to begin his adult life, either at university or in the army. In 1966 Charles attended Timbertop, the country campus of the exclusive Geelong Grammar School, for a year before attending Cambridge University. One of Charles's most trusted aides, deputy press secretary Colleen Harris, who has served the royal family for five years, is expected to accompany Harry on his Australian trip. His party will include other royal officials and a large security contingent. As a sports fan, and one who has inherited his family's enthusiasm for equestrian pursuits, Harry is expected to attend the Melbourne Cup. The Rugby World Cup is another lure, with England, ranked No.1 in the world, the tournament favourites. The English will play in several cities, including Perth and Sydney, and Harry may join the team as a spectator. While Harry's adventures in Australia will undoubtedly be well documented in the media, the trip will move him out of the immediate orbit of the scandal-hungry British press. Two years ago, newspapers revelled in the story of the young royal's experimentation with soft drugs. His use of marijuana earned him the sobriquet "Harry Pothead". But Charles also won praise for his handling of the problem, acknowledging it had occurred and then taking his errant son to the Featherstone Lodge drug rehabilitation clinic in South London. Charles also gave him a stern lecture about underage drinking, something else for which Harry had become known. In June, Harry completed his final exams at Eton, Britain's most exclusive private school, which still requires its students to wear starched collars and tailcoats. He will find the Australian ambience markedly different. The young prince has reportedly developed a passion for Aboriginal art and some of his own paintings have drawn inspiration from the earth tones and reptiles of the outback. There has been talk that Harry might spend time working with, and learning from, Aboriginal communities. Some Aboriginal elders remember his father, known for having a liberal social conscience, who has visited many communities on previous Australian tours. Two years ago Harry's older brother, William, spent several months in South America working on projects for disadvantaged people. He is now studying at St Andrews University in Scotland. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake