Royal praise for Australia as tour begins in Sydney

The Duke of Cambridge has described Australia as a "beacon of confidence" as he and his family began the next leg of their Antipodean tour.

Thousands turned out to greet the royal couple at Sydney Opera House to mark the start of their 10-day visit, which follows a tour of New Zealand.

The duke and duchess are expected to bring Prince George to a zoo in Sydney on Sunday, where an enclosure housing bilbys - a rabbit-like marsupial - will be named after him.

William added: "I suspect George's first word might be 'bilby' - only because koala is harder to say.''

Nicholas Witchell reports.