Harry and Meghan thrilled a cheering crowd at the Royal Flying Doctor Service at Dubbo Airport, the Duchess of Sussex making a tender exchange of flowers with young girl whose life had been saved.
When three-year-old Keiley Storer handed shyly over a posy of gerberas and daisies, Meghan said "would you like one back?" and returned a white flower.
Meghan then asked the little girl, "would you like the big pink one?" and Keiley, whose father is RFDS patient transfer officer, Christopher Storer, cried briefly, saying, "oh no, my posy".
Keiley's mother Melissa Storer said she told the Duchess about the serious larynx problem that had sent Keiley into cardiac arrest aged eight weeks, and said "we dont wish that for your baby".
Meghan then "laughed and said 'I certainly hope not'," Melissa Storer said.
She said the royal couple was "very laid back … and I didn't even have to think about curtsying."
Keiley Storer was one of three country patients meeting the royal couple whose lives were saved after they were flown in from outlying properties and bush towns by the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS).
RFDS: Prince Harry and Meghan meeting with members of the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Dubbo. Photo: KAREN JAMES
They were among a crowd of around a hundred patients, staff and RFDS volunteers gathered inside the service's airport hangar.
Courtney Sheil, 15, was on her cousin's sheep station outside Tilpa, 700km northwest of Dubbo when she fell off her motorbike and hit her head .
Courtney said when she told Meghan about her resulting head injuries, the Duchess replied, "That must have been very scary".
"(Meghan and Harry) were really glad I was okay," Courtney said later, saying the couple was "very nice and inviting.
"They were amazing people and she was even more stunning in person."
The Duke and Duchess also met Afghanistan war hero Marcus Wilson, an Australian Army veteran who is also competing in the Invictus Games sailing competition.
Mr Wilson, who won a bravery award pulling wounded out of a helicopter crash, said Harry was "excited" about the coming games.
Meghan wowed the crow by posing for photographs with relatives of Flying Doctor staff.
Nerrie Madden, 70, posed for a quick picture with her daughter, Terri-Lee Leach, the mother of RFDS Dental assistant Emmy Leach, and the Duchess.
"I asked her and she said yes immediately," Ms Madden said.
"She's beautiful, just a natural."
The Duke and Duchess also met repeat patient of the service, Carol Pennell, now aged in her 70s, who was stranded in Hungerford, a seven hour drive with 200km of poor road conditions, in 2014.
Ms Pennell, who was suffering from cancer, underwent two operations after being airlifted by RFDS planes, and was flown to Sydney in May this year for cardiac treatment.
Royal Flying Doctor Service South-Eastern Section president, Ruth Sandow, and Chief Medical Officer, Dr Randall Greenberg, accompanied the royal couple around the hangar.
Harry and Meghan dedicated a new Beechcraft King Air B350 propeller plane bought from Wichita in the US to the Dubbo & Region Supporters Group.
The group raised the money for the local emergency retrieval transport to mark the 90th year of the RFDS, which was given its royal charter by the Queen in 1955.
Supporters group member Barara Howells said the couple told them, "It's lovely tp be here. There's a big community spirit here."
After dedicating the new plane, Prince Harry bent down and sniffed a large buttercream cake before cutting it to mark the occasion.
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This story Duke and Duchess thrill crowds at Royal Flying Doctor Service first appeared on Western Magazine.
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