Prince Harry began day two of his whirlwind tour Down Under without Meghan, kicking around a footy with AFL players and talking about men’s mental health.

The Duke of Sussex visited Melbourne’s Whitten Oval, home of the Western Bulldogs AFL club, where well-dressed families streamed into the Footscray stadium ahead of an exclusive Movember event.

Harry, the guest of honour, participated in a discussion around men’s mental health and modern fatherhood.

After a Q&A session, the prince joined the players on the field for a chat and kick of the footy, although he was hardly dressed the part in brown jeans and boots.

Outside, parents dropping their children off at the childcare next door watched on, hoping to catch the prince’s arrival.

Diehard Bulldogs supporter Rose Dennis doesn’t consider herself a royal enthusiast, but was delighted it was her club the prince chose to visit.

”I was coming here for training anyway so having Harry here is an extra bonus,” she told AAP.

She pushed back against critics of the duke and duchess, claiming they were using their profiles for the right reasons.

”I heard someone say it’s just a publicity thing, but it’s not – he’s really interested in men’s mental health,” Dennis said.

”By him being here, it gives a much higher profile to the organisation of Movember and gives him something to focus on.”

Still, some Bulldogs fans who arrived in the morning to catch their team practice were left annoyed when they missed the entire session due to being locked out during Harry’s visit.

Others were disappointed he chose to make use of a private entrance, missing the opportunity to meet with an eager crowd.

Some Harry watchers had camped out for most of the morning at difference entrances hoping to catch a glimpse of the prince.

”He’s gone? Oh no!” one exclaimed when news circulated he had slipped away.

”They’re gone already? Sneaky hey,” another said.

After the event, Harry heads to Canberra to attend a number of engagements at the Australian War Memorial, including meeting with Indigenous veterans and attending a reception for Invictus Australia.

How the duchess plans to spend her day has not been made public, though the pair will be side-by-side again when the duke jets back to Melbourne later on Wednesday.

Harry and Meghan have also visited Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital.

Source: AAP

The visit, four days in all, could be mistaken for an official royal tour with its charitable appearances, hospital visits, and fanfare, although the pair are no longer working royals and are visiting in a private capacity.

The visit marks the couple’s first since 2018, when they spent nine days travelling across Australia.

Excited crowds gathered to greet the pair on Tuesday, when they met families and youngsters packed inside the foyer at Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital.

After the hospital, the Duke and Duchess toured a centre delivering support to women and children experiencing family violence and homelessness, before visiting the Australian National Veterans Arts Museum.

On Thursday, Harry will join Meghan for the Scar Tree Walk, a cultural journey connecting traditional and contemporary Aboriginal cultures in East Melbourne.

Commitments will then move toward a more commercial focus, with Harry due to deliver a keynote speech at the InterEdge Psychosocial Safety Summit in Melbourne, where tickets range from about $1000 to $2400.

The pair will fly to Sydney on Thursday, where Meghan will headline an exclusive three-day women’s retreat pitched as a ”girls weekend like no other” with tickets starting at $2699.

The duke and duchess will end their trip in Sydney where they will sail around the harbour and attend a rugby match.