Fans greet Prince Harry in Sydney at naval celebration

SYDNEY, Oct. 5 (UPI) -- British Prince Harry was greeted by thousands of fans Saturday as he arrived in Sydney to take part in an Australian navy celebration.

The prince, 29, made an appearance at a meet-and-greet at Campbell's Cove shortly before boarding the survey ship HMAS Leeuwin with Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott for the International Fleet Review, The Independent reported.

Thousands of Harry's fans attended the event, and more than 1 million people were expected to show up throughout the day.

"Prince Harry, I regret to say not every Australian is a monarchist," Abbott said at the event. "But today everyone feels like a monarchist. You grace us as your family has graced our nation from its beginning...as the Crown is a symbol of our stability, continuity and decency in public life."

Fans said they were excited to catch a glimpse of the prince, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

"His uniform was really cool, his salute was awesome," said Ayesha Sweeney, 19, who traveled from Albury to attend the event. "He's a bit of a cutie, I think everyone has a crush on him. All of the ladies were wooing and whistling when he came out."

The event was Harry's only scheduled public appearance while he is in Australia representing the queen, the BBC reported.

The prince will head to the Western Australia capital of Perth Sunday