I recently had the opportunity to hear the future King of England's (well, at least we hope) speak at the Australia Day reception at Government House.  Crowds lined the entry to the grounds as we, the invited guests waited for the all clear to get into the car park.

HRH Prince William, after a full itinerary of visiting Victoria's bush firs affected areas, was gracious enough to join a throng of one thousand invited guests and provide a light hearted and genuine speech. Towards the end of the reception, I had the pleasure of shaking hands with the young Prince, clearly a highlight of my week, if not my year.

He was charming, engaging and a solid representation of a modern monarchy.  Whether or not Australia will remain as part of the Commonwealth or become a republic is yet to be seen but my experience was memorable and I hold a lot of admiration for a young man whose life is on constant display and crowded by a set of security, servants and the ever fevered public, all eager to serve and see this much adored young man.