A radio star has opened up on his chaotic meeting with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle during their tour of Australia last week.
Michael "Wippa" Wipfli, a host on Australian radio station Nova, revealed he made a "small donation" to attend one of the events held by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex during their visit Down Under.
However, things did not go quite as smoothly as planned.
Speaking on his show, Fitzy, Wippa & Kate, the radio star detailed his chat with the Sussexes on 36 Months – his social media initiative, campaigning to extend the age of children permitted on social media to 16 years old.
It is a cause close to the heart of Harry and Meghan, who have long been advocates of raising awareness of the dangers of social media.
During their tour, the Duchess claimed she had been "bullied and attacked" for 10 years, leaving her "the most trolled person in the entire world".
Australia banned under-16s from using major social media services, including TikTok, X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and Threads last year – a move branded "epic" by Harry.
"Australia took the lead," he told an Australian crowd. "Your government was the first country in the world to bring about a ban."
A radio star has opened up on his chaotic meeting with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle during their tour of Australia last week
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Speaking on his show, Fitzy, Wippa & Kate, the radio star detailed his chat with the Sussexes
|So, naturally, the scene was perfectly set for "Wippa" to chat with the Sussexes about his own initiative.
"The entire evening was all about digital safety and the well-being of teens, which was awesome. It’s such a prominent thing for them. They’re so focused on that," the radio host explained.
"They'd been briefed on 36 Months, and they really liked it and wanted to talk further about it, so I was flattered by that."
The initial greeting was "friendly" well, so much so, Mr Wipfli felt the natural progression would be to exchange contact details.
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He recalled: "I don’t want to say that I said 'We should exchange numbers', it was more like 'We should keep chatting', and I think I had my phone in my hand because I had been referencing something, and so it looked like I was saying, 'Hey, what’s your number?'
"When he saw me, he then signalled to the lady – his EA or whatever – and he said, 'Can we exchange details over here so we can keep chatting?'"
But if that wasn't enough, "Wippa" took it a step further with his farewell for the Duchess.
"She was so warm and embracing. It was a hug and a kiss goodbye," he explained.
Kate was left in stitches as 'Wippa' told his story
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'Fitzy' said: 'That’s not protocol, mate'
|He was quickly interrupted by his co-host, Kate Ritchie, who questioned whether he actually kissed the former royal.
Meanwhile, his other co-host, "Fitzy", said: "That’s not protocol, mate. That’s going outside the square.
"That's like touching Vladimir Putin on the shoulder."
Attempting to justify his actions, "Wippa" said he "just gave her a kiss on the cheek, like anyone".
"I think they loved meeting me. I think we got on really well. I’ve emailed the contact that he gave me, and look, she hasn’t replied yet," he joked.
"It’s been 3 days and 3 emails, but I’m sure any day now. I’m just watching the clock."
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