Harry pays tribute to lost Aussie brothers

A playful Prince Harry meets wellwishers at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. Photo / AP

Captain Harry Wales has reported for duty.

The British soldier, better known as Prince Harry, first paid his respects to the lost brothers of the Australian military he's joined for a month-long secondment Downunder.

Wearing his white and black dress uniform adorned with three medals, he laid a wreath of Australian natives and yellow flowers at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

To the strains of The Last Post he saluted the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and observed a minute's silence with the memorial's director Brendan Nelson, chairman Rear Admiral Ken Doolan and Chief of the Defence Force Mark Binskin.

Rear Admiral Doolan led the official party along the memorial's cloisters, explaining the significance of the recording of Australia's war dead on the bronze plaques.

Harry paused briefly for photos in the Gallipoli archway of the cloisters, and toured the memorial's Afghanistan gallery, paying tribute to those diggers who, like him, served in the recent Middle East conflict.

Dr Nelson presented Harry with a box made from wood from the Lone Pine tree's descendant that grows on the memorial's grounds, explaining how Australian soldier Mark Smith sent a pine cone back home from the Turkish trenches.

Prince Harry, left, looks at poppies at the Australian War Memorial. Photo / AP

About a thousand royal watchers braved rain outside the war memorial for a glimpse of the prince, who waved away an umbrella and spent about 20 minutes greeting well-wishers before heading to Duntroon House to formally report for duty.

Harry will break his exchange at the end of this month to join centenary commemorations in Gallipoli.

He is due in New Zealand next month.

- AAP