Prince Harry brushes aside royal protocol to hug a 5-year-old boy obsessed with his beard

Kerry Justich
·Health and Wellness Staff Writer

Meghan Markle‘s pregnancy was just announced on Monday, but already she and husband Prince Harry are practicing their parenting skills while on their royal tour in Australia.

The couple made their way to Dubbo in New South Wales on Tuesday, where they were greeted by a large crowd as they exited their plane. Nobody in the group was as excited to meet the Duke and Duchess of Sussex than 5-year-old Luke Vincent.

In a sweet moment that has now gone viral, the little boy was seen immediately going in for a hug from the prince before grabbing hold of Harry’s beard. And although his school principal, Anne Van Darrel, was worried about Luke breaking royal protocol, she told 7 News Sydney that the little boy couldn’t help himself.

“Luke loves beards,” she said. “Luke’s favorite person is Santa Claus.”

Naturally, the child paid no mind to the protocol that suggests not to initiate physical contact with a member of the royal family. But onlookers were delighted to see how Harry handled the moment.

“I was very concerned once [Luke] started rubbing Prince Harry’s face and his hair,” Van Darrel said. “But Prince Harry was completely gracious and was so polite and realized what was happening with [Luke’s] infatuation with his beard. And we can only thank him so much for treating Luke with such respect.”

Luke also had a moment with Markle, as he went over to give her a bouquet of flowers and a hug. Still, he told the Australian news outlet that his favorite people are now Santa Claus and Prince Harry.

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

• Prince Harry introduces pregnant Meghan Markle to his 98-year-old superfan during Australia tour
• Meghan Markle pays stylish tribute to Princess Diana during first outing since announcing her pregnancy
• Meghan Markle is technically having a ‘geriatric pregnancy’ — here are the health risks

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