Britain's Prince Harry reacts with members of the public displaying a sign reading 'Red Heads Rule' after visiting the Australian War Memorial in Canberra April 6, 2015.
IN PHOTO: Britain's Prince Harry reacts with members of the public displaying a sign reading 'Red Heads Rule' after visiting the Australian War Memorial in Canberra April 6, 2015. REUTERS/Lukas Coch/Pool

British army captain Prince Harry has reported for duty in Canberra, Australia Monday to meet with the Australian Army, but first greeted hundreds of fans despite the rain and the cold. He prompted a few laughs from the crowd as he advised the self-obsessed younger generation to stop with the "selfies," and also declared his redhead pride.

The prince was set to begin a four-week attachment to the Australian Army which will take him to the coasts of the nation, The Associated Press reported. However, he first shook hands and chatted with a few well-wishers for about 20 minutes as he walked outside the Australian War Memorial during his only scheduled public appearance.

Amidst the cheering crowd, one teenage girl leaned over the railings in an attempt to have a selfie with the 30-year-old. The prince politely refused, telling his admirer that he hated selfies and encouraged her to take a “normal photograph." Australia’s Ten Network recorded him saying about selfies, which drew laughter from the crowd, “Seriously, you need to get out of it." Network 9 recorded him adding, "I know you're young, but selfies are bad.”

Previously, his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II has also showed some disdain over the selfie movement, saying she found it “strange” to see cameras and mobile phones being held up to their faces. Even Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, found it “disconcerting” that the trend has become “the new reality” for most people in this generation, E! stated.

Another admirer had his own special moment as his banner that said “Redheads RULE!” caught the prince’s attention. Twelve-year-old Ethan Tocsan, who was a redhead like Prince Harry, revealed that the prince told him that he was "fabulous” for making the sign and that being a ginger "has to be the number one thing one person can ever be." He also excitedly gushed about the prince giving him a high-five and a handshake.

Captain Harry Wales, as the prince is known in the British army, then proceeded to the national war memorial, where he laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. He later reported for duty to Australia's Defense Force Air chief Marshal Mark Binskin, who the prince has chosen to go on patrol and training with after two deployments in Afghanistan. He also delivered a letter from the queen, which stated that it was only appropriate that Harry, fourth in line to the British throne, visited Australia a hundred years after Australian and British troops served together in the invasion of Gallipoli during World War I. She also thanked the chief for welcoming Harry into his ranks.

Captain Wales will be entrenched with Australian army units and regiments in Darwin, Sydney, and Perth and is expected to “deploy on urban and field training exercises, domestic deployments, as well as participate in Indigenous engagement activities," Binskin stated. Harry and his father Charles the Prince of Wales are also expected to attend centenary commemorations on April 25 in Turkey.

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