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Prince William spends a second day in Sydney

20th January 2010

Prince William was given an enthusiastic welcome on his second day in Sydney.

The Prince showed he had lost none of his sharp shooting skills from his days with the Household Cavalry when he took aim on a target range yesterday.

The 27-year-old royal had travelled to Holsworthy Barracks army base in Sydney to join soldiers from Alpha Company from the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment who were already practising.

Armed with an Australian military F88 Austeyr rifle Prince William lay on his stomach as he peered down the sights at the target 100 metres away.

The Prince's results from his rifle shooting were described as excellent by Major Doug Pashley Alpha Company's commander.

The furthest distance between his shots on the target was just 10.4cm with a normal infantryman expected to get 15cms.

Lance Corporal Peter Phillips, 29, a section commander from Alpha company said: "If we had soldiers come in and do that on their first day they would be a master shot in a couple of weeks.

"He's not familiar with the rifle we gave him, they have the SA80 in Britain, so that's an excellent result."

Safety supervisor Corporal Kyle Balfoort, 25, spent around 20 minutes with The Prince, crouching over him and giving him instructions while he was firing.

He said afterwards: "He was happy, all he wanted was a pass and he ended up getting a pretty good pass."

Prince William spent time chatting to around 20 servicemen some of whom had served in Afghanistan last year in a six-month deployment providing security for engineers.

Before leaving Prince William posed for a photo with members of Alpha Company and was presented with the regiment's wide brimmed "slouch hat" worn on ceremonial occasions.

When asked does it fit he tried on the headgear which was clearly too large and the group laughed as he said: "No, not quite."

During the day The Prince visited a homeless charity in Sydney. Since he was taken to homeless centres by his mother Diana, Princess of Wales as a child, Prince William has taken a keen interest in helping people affected by homelessness.

Before Christmas Prince William spent a night sleeping on the streets at a spot near Blackfriars Bridge in London to raise awareness about the issue.

He is Patron of the charity Centrepoint which supports young homeless people in the UK.

The hostel Prince William visited was for rough sleepers run by the Tedd Noffs Foundation - an institution which helps teenagers, many with drug and alcohol addictions, turn their lives around.

Prince William was joined at the Sydney hostel by Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd whose office had helped organised the visit.

The Prince chatted to a group of homeless teenagers privately and also met four young men who performed a three minute rap for him.

When asked later by the quartet what music he listened to, Prince William replied: "Mine is very varied, a bit of rock, a bit of Linkin Park and Kanye West."

The last act met with the approval of Austin Anyimba, 16, who said, "That's my man", which made everyone laugh.

Prince William replied: "I've said something right then. I normally get a lot of stick for my interest in music - quite rappy, I can't do beat-box."

Later, during a barbecue held in his honour by Kristina Keneally, Premier of New South Wales, Prince William praised the people of Sydney for the way they welcomed him to their city.

In searing temperatures Prince William arrived at the Royal Botanic Gardens for the event and was greeted by hundreds of well-wishers as he went on a brief walkabout shaking hands and chatting to members of the public.

He stopped and smiled when he spotted one young women who had a banner that read "Your King in our hearts Wills".

The barbecue venue was close to the waters of Farm Cove and across the expanse was the impressive Sydney Opera House and Sydney Bridge.

As he walked along the waterfront to the lunchtime reception Aboriginal dancers covered in ceremonial paint led the way, giving a performance.

Prince William gave a brief speech to thank his hosts and joked that he now wanted a home in Sydney.

Speaking to the guests, who included a range of people from the worlds of business and the arts to the emergency services, he said: "I have had the most warm welcome ever, not just with the weather but with all Sydney people, thank you so, so much.

"It has been a terrific couple of days in Sydney and because of that I will actually try and buy a house in Sydney, so if any of you have any properties for sale please let me know."

Prince William is midway through a three-day tour of Australia - a country he has never visited as an adult.

In 1983 he was a toddler when his parents brought him to the Commonwealth nation.

Earlier this week the 27-year-old royal was in New Zealand for his first official overseas visit on behalf of The Queen, which saw him open the country's new Supreme Court.

The Prince is in Australia to get to know the Commonwealth nation and its people and during the afternoon took time out from official engagements to play the tourist.

With a small party, he boarded a high-powered rib - rigid inflatable boat - that roared around Sydney Harbour for around 45 minutes, giving guests a white-knuckle ride.

Australian Edward Dawson-Damer, a former equerry of Prince William's great-grandmother, Her Late Majesty The Queen Mother, and a family friend, joined his group on the boat.