The Duke of Sussex praised Dubbo’s resistance in dealing with recent hard droughts in a speech as the rains poured in the city.

Harry joked “I’ve got my wife” as he was offered an umbrella before taking to the lectern at Dubbo’s Victoria Park, as Meghan provided shelter from his side.

He also quipped that the “rain was a gift” as hundreds of people from the region turned out to see the royal visitors.

The much-needed rain began to fall about 10 minutes before their arrival and only got worse as they viewed stalls at the picnic in Victoria Park.

He said: “Sixty-four years ago my grandparents, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, were right here visiting the war memorial.

Royal tour of Australia – Day Two
The Duchess of Sussex holds an umbrella as the Duke of Sussex makes a speech at a community picnic in Victoria Park (Ian Vogler/PA)

“So it’s a great pleasure to be able to visit this area now and be able to report back how much life has changed in the Great Western Plains region since then.”

Addressing the crowd, he said: “You people are the salt of the earth, hard working and as tough as they come.

“I know that life has not been easy. You have just lived through two years of drought.”

To laughter from the crowd, he said: “Despite recent welcome rain, it is going to take a lot more and a long time to recover.

“You are all the toughest people out there, the most persistent, the ones who can weather the storm or the drought.”

Harry and Meghan began their visit by watching a display of jumping dogs – with the duke trying his hand at beckoning a canine over a wall – before meeting members of Team Rubicon, an organisation for veterans which uses disaster response to help former service people back into civilian life.

The couple received an array of gifts during their visit, from traditional clapping sticks offered by dignitaries through to a can of Dubbo Royale lager.

“We gave him a can of special brew,” said Peter West, 62, from the city.

“It’s a mixture from her town in America and his in England.

“It’s beautiful. We bought a slab to take home but we had a few waiting here this morning.”

Dubbo Royale is a beer which has been made to commemorate the royal visit and is a blend of British lager and American hops.

Matilda Marchant, eight, was complimented by the duchess for her curtseying skills when she met the royal party.

She said: “I shook their hand and they said I did a very good curtsey.

“I gave him some Girl Guide biscuits and a rose.

“I had practised for the whole morning.”

Royal tour of Australia – Day Two
The Duke of Sussex and Duchess of Sussex visit a local farming family, the Woodleys, in Dubbo (Chris Jackson/PA)

Emelia Hosking, 10, from Dubbo, attended the picnic with a sign reading “Gingers Rule”.

She said: “I like that he is caring and does lots of charity work.”

Mark Dobson, of Team Rubicon, gave Harry a shirt from the organisation, of which he is a member.

Mr Dobson said: “He said it was the fourth shirt he had been given, and I said he probably needs to deploy a bit more to get them dirty.”

He said: “I don’t really have enough time, but we’ll keep asking.”