This Adorable Young Fan Touched Prince Harry’s Beard And Gave Him A Big Hug

Is there anything cuter than how Prince Harry interacts with small children?

No. The answer is no. And the soon-to-be-father proved that once again when he met a 5-year-old boy with Down syndrome while visiting Dubbo, Australia.

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle are on their first international tour together, visiting Australia, Figi, Tonga and New Zealand. After landing in Sydney on Oct. 15, the couple visited the rural farming community of Dubbo on the 16th, and a group of local school children greeted them at the airport.

One student, Luke Vincent, gave the couple an extra-special hello.

Luke gave the prince a big hug, handed Markle a bouquet of flowers, and gave her a hug, too.

Luke turned back to Prince Harry and stroked his beard and gave the prince a few tugs of his hair as Markle laughed.

Luke also gave Markle a big hug.

The royal couple was grinning ear to ear, clearly delighted by the young boy’s curiosity and friendliness. The adorable moment gets even cuter when you learn that the 5-year-old boy is actually big fan — not of royals, but of beards.

“Luke loves beards,” the boy’s school principal Anne Van Dartel told 7 News Sydney. “Luke’s favorite person is Santa Claus … and now it’s Prince Harry.”

“Luke waited beautifully today,” for the royal couple, she continued. “And he even brought her flowers.”

Van Dartel said the school had been instructed that there would be “no touching” of the royals. But kids will be kids, and Luke went ahead and showed his affection, anyway.

“Prince Harry was completely gracious and so polite and realized what was happening — [Luke’s] infatuation with his beard,” Van Dartel said in an interview with a Sydney television station. “And we can only thank him for treating Luke with such respect.”

The interviewer also asked Luke who he likes better now: Prince Harry or Santa Claus. Hmm, they both have great beards. Well, good news: They’re equally popular to this little boy.

This is not the first time that a small child couldn’t keep his hands to himself around the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Over the summer on a visit to Ireland, a 3-year-old boy pulled on Markle’s hair and got a playful scolding from the prince for it.

But considering how well these two interact with children, we’re willing to bet they don’t mind all the hands-on attention!