SYDNEY: Britain’s Prince William and wife Kate charmed a welcoming crowd at the Sydney Opera House on Wednesday as they began the Australian leg of a tour Down Under with baby Prince George.

The couple touched down in Sydney after a 10-day visit to New Zealand in which the royal infant George was the star attraction, and were taken by motorcade to the iconic harborside building.

Addressing a reception inside the Opera House, Prince William praised Australia’s efforts in leading the search to find missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in the remote Indian Ocean.

“Your contribution to the ongoing search for MH370 has earned respect in every quarter of the globe,” he said.

“For Catherine, Harry and me, born in the early 80s, we’ve never known anything else — Australia and Australians have always been for us a beacon of confidence, creativity in the arts and sporting ability,” he said.

Prince William said George, who was again on his mother’s hip as the family disembarked from their flight from New Zealand, was “now busy forging his own link with Australia.” “I suspect George’s first word might be ‘bilby’ — only because ‘koala’ is harder to say,” said William, referring to the small rabbit-eared Australian marsupial.