The “Lukey-love-effect” captured the hearts of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the nation, as the five-year-old Dubbo student greeted the royal couple with a hug.
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Luke Vincent, a student at Buninyong Primary School, was among those invited from public schools to welcome the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the Dubbo airport on Wednesday morning.
The young boy, who had been waiting at the end of the line for the chance to meet the royals, went straight in for a hug, before rubbing the Prince’s beard and head.
He held the reassuring hand of his principal Anne van Dartell, who looked on at her student with utter excitement.
He then gave Meghan flowers and a hug, before hugging Harry again and touching the top of his head.
Luke’s mother Danielle Sparrow, a teacher, said she couldn’t believe it when she watched the interaction live at her school with colleagues and students.
“I just started crying and shaking, I was happy because that’s just Luke and the love he shows,” Ms Sparrow said.
“Everyone just said how beautiful, how gorgeous, isn’t that lovely.”
She said while she couldn’t believe it happened, it was something Luke would do.
“That’s our Lukey, the Lukey-love-effect, he’s just full of lots of love,” Ms Sparrow said.
She said the response from the Duke and Duchess was touching.
“I think they laughed because he went straight back to Harry, he certainly gave her the flowers, he loved Harry, the beard,” Ms Sparrow said.
Luke told the Dubbo Daily Liberal Meghan said “yay” upon receiving his flowers.
He said he enjoyed meeting the royals before heading back to school for a normal day.
His mother upon seeing Luke for the first time since the event asked him if the royal couple were his friends.
“Friends, yeah,” he quickly responded.
Leading up to the morning, Ms Sparrow said she’d collected a bunch of flowers from their garden.
“I said to Lukey, you need to give these to the Duchess and give her a cuddle,” Ms Sparrow said
“Because he saw Harry with a beard, he loves men with beards, Santa is his favourite person, so anyone with a beard he loves. It’s also a sensory tactile thing.
“From the look on their faces, everyone was having lots of fun.”
Read more royal visit stories here.
Buninyong Primary school principal Anne van Dartell said Luke showed the royals he had the capacity to make people smile and bring joy to their lives.
“It was a wonderful day, it was just a beautiful experience for all the students who went today from all the public schools,” she said.
