Prince Harry receives marriage proposal during Aussie farewell

Thousands have bid Prince Harry farewell as his Australian army secondment ends - including a woman who asked him to marry her.

Victoria McRae donned a plastic crown and popped the question before surprising the prince with a kiss at a Sydney Opera House event.

He responded with a coy smile and told his admirer that he would have to think about it.

Prince Harry has spent the last month with army units in Perth and Sydney.

It is not the first marriage proposal he has received, but he has yet to accept any offers from his eager fans.

Speaking later at a function at Macquarie University in Sydney, the prince said he had had a "fantastic" time in Australia.

"I never expected that many people to turn out [at the Opera House] ... I got more than one kiss," he added.

The event was his last official engagement in the country.

Ms McRae used a colourful banner to grab Prince Harry's attention

He proved popular with older members of the crowd too and received "more than one" kiss

The prince was greeted by New South Wales Premier Mike Baird at the Opera House

Part of the prince's secondment was spent with the North-West Mobile Force (Norforce) - the mostly indigenous unit which patrols northern Australia.

"I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have worked with these guys," he told local media, referring to members of the Australian Defence Force.

Last month, he joined his father Prince Charles in Turkey for the centenary commemorations of the landing of Australian, New Zealand and other Allied troops at Gallipoli.

The Prince has said he is looking forward to a "new chapter" in his life after it was announced in March that he would be ending his 10-year UK military career in June.

He took up a staff officer role with the Army last year and has served twice in Afghanistan.