Prince Charles visits Great Barrier Reef

Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, on Friday visited the Great Barrier Reef for a conservation roundtable discussion on day three of his visit to Australia.

Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, had opened the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane on behalf of Queen Elizabeth on Wednesday to kick off their seven-day tour of Queensland and the Northern Territory.

On Friday, the Prince took a boat tour and attended the roundtable on coral resilience at Lady Elliot Island on the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef, Efe news reported.

Accompanying him on the island was the late conservationist Steve Irwin's wife Terri with children Bob and Bindi.

The Great Barrier is the world's largest coral reef system famed for its diverse ecosystem but is under threat from coral bleaching.

On Friday, Prince Charles also toured the Bundaberg Rum distillery while the Duchess visited the Women of the World festival in Brisbane.

The couple also presented medals at the games, including a gold to Thomas Hamer of England, for the Men's S14 200m Freestyle event and toured the athletes' village alongside Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

On Thursday, the pair visited Broadbeach to unveil the final plaque on the Commonwealth Walkway and attended a surf-lifesaving demonstration, according to the couple's official website.

This is the Prince of Wales' 16th trip to Australia and the Duchess' third.

--IANS

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