text: His pristine white uniform was the epitome of buttoned-up respectability. But that was Prince Harry’s only nod to formality yesterday as he began his month-long visit Down Under. Indeed, the playful royal larked around like a true larrikin. He laughed and joked with wellwishers. He offered handshakes and high fives. And he gurned like a good-un, making himself an instant hit with younger fans. Prince Harry was greeted by an enthusiastic crowd at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, all keen to catch a glimpse of the royal . The Prince pulled funny faces at a young girl waiting in the crowd with her mother, as others snapped photos on their smartphones . 'The people's Prince' continued to show off his playful side, high-fiving a young boy who was waiting behind a barricade . The Prince is in Australia to report for official military duty but he enjoyed his interaction with excited fans . Prince Harry has declared 'selfies are bad' during his visit to the Australian capital of Canberra as revellers scrambled to get a piece of the royal on their camera phones . The prince spent 20 minutes chatting and posing for photographs for crowds in Canberra, where he made a beeline for a youngster with a banner saying ‘Redheads Rule’. Ginger-haired Ethan Toscan, 12, who earned a high five from the royal after he spotted his home-made sign in the crowd, said: ‘He said it was awesome to be a redhead. 'It was a pleasure meeting the prince and being able to shake his hand and give him a high five. I’m over the moon.’ While Harry was clearly eager to please, he didn’t go as far as agreeing to a selfie with a teenage admirer. The prince, 30, smiled as he told the girl: ‘No, I hate selfies ... I know you’re young, but selfies are bad. Just take a normal photograph.’ This seems to be a view shared by his grandmother, the Queen, who has said she finds it ‘strange’ to be greeted by a sea of smartphones at public engagements. Harry joked around with Ethan after spotting his sign and walking over to chat with the 12-year-old boy . Young Prince Harry fan Ethan poses with his 'Red Heads Rule' poster outside Canberra's War Memorial on Monday . Hundreds waited in the rain to see Harry, who was wearing a wristband in support of his charity project the Invictus Games – a sports event for injured service personnel – featuring the slogan: ‘I am the master of my fate.’ On arrival at the Australian War Memorial, he laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It is likely to be his only public engagement during a four-week attachment to the Australian army, during which he is expected to train on helicopter simulators and join bush patrols in the North. Harry is in the last few weeks of his service before leaving the Army in June. He and Prince Charles will travel to Turkey later this month for the Anzac Day dawn service at Gallipoli, where Commonwealth forces including a joint Australian and New Zealand army suffered heavy casualties during the First World War. There was a potentially awkward moment as Dr Brendan Nelson, director of the Australian War Memorial, asked if Harry had seen the film ‘Gallipoli’. The 1981 movie, starring Mel Gibson, was criticised by some historians for depicting the British as ordering waves of Australian soldiers to their deaths. Harry said he had not seen the film and was told: ‘It’s worth watching.’ One woman grabbed Harry's face and leaned in for a kiss on the cheek, with the Prince happily obliging . Prince Harry put a smile on the faces of young and the old as the enthusiastic Aussies waited to greet him in the pouring Canberra rain . Prince Harry signs the visitors' book at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra .
target: Prince Harry arrived in Canberra and visited the Australian War Memorial in his only official public appearance .
  During this visit, he told a teenage admirer to give up the trend of snapping self-portraits, saying 'selfies are bad'
  The Prince, who is in Australia for a four-week secondment with Australian Defence Force, then reported for duty .
  The 30-year-old touched in Sydney on Monday at 8.30am, before travelling to Canberra in the ACT on a RAAF jet .
  Dressed in his white tropical dress uniform of the British Army, he also visited the Australian War Memorial .