Britain’s Prince Harry is expected to be a guest of honor at an Australian gala celebration.
The 28-year-old royal is the Royal Australian Navy’s first choice to attend the centenary International Fleet Review in Sydney Harbour on October 3, which will see 33 warships and 6000 sailors take to the seas.
A navy source told the Daily Telegraph newspaper: ”We will achieve royal patronage but the palace will not announce the name until much closer to the event.”
However, St James’s Palace has refused to comment on the prospective royal visit saying they did not wish to discuss it in advance.
The flotilla – which will cost $6 million, but is expected to boost the country’s local economy by $40 million – will start in Jervis Bay and go through Sydney Heads in order to mark 100 years since the RAN fleet first entered the port and famous navy base.
The fleet is due to be made up of 19 Australian and up to 14 foreign warships, with the HMAS Sydney leading the vessels.
Royal army helicopter pilot Harry previously visited Australia during his gap year in 2003, where he worked at a Queensland sheep station.