Prince Harry tells teens 'selfies are bad' on Australia trip

Prince Harry has declared "selfies are bad", during a jovial walkabout as he greeted hundreds of well-wishers who gathered to catch a glimpse of him as he arrived in Australia.

The prince, who spent around 20 minutes shaking hands and speaking to those who braved the rain to see him, advised a teenage admirer to give up the trend for snapping self-portraits.

"Seriously, you need to get out of it. I know you're young, but selfies are bad," Australian television network Nine recorded him saying as the crowd laughed. WORDS: PA

The prince's grandmother is also reported to have voiced her dismay at the fad, while his uncle the Duke of York has said he finds being filmed on walkabouts "disconcerting".

The Queen, who famously "photobombed" a selfie taken by an Australian sportswoman at the Commonwealth Games, reportedly made the comments to US ambassador Matthew Barzun.

Speaking last year he said: "She was essentially saying 'I miss eye contact'."

The Duke of York has previously said while he is "not so fussed about the selfie problem", he finds it "interesting" that people use phones and tablets to take footage during meet-and-greets, describing it as "the new reality".

During Harry's walkabout in Canberra today, which followed a visit to the War Memorial and came just before he reported for duty on his four-week placement with the Australian army, he also spoke to Ethan Toscan who had brought along a banner stating: "Redheads RULE!!"

The prince said being a redhead "has to be the number one thing one person can ever be", according to Ethan, who is also ginger-haired.

"He said that I was fabulous in making the sign and it's awesome to be a redhead," said the 12-year-old, who also earned a high five.

"I'm over the moon - it's just wow! I got to shake his hand!"

Harry waved away an umbrella while he met members of the public, despite the drizzly weather.