First real kiss a royal occasion for lucky Sydney teenager

Sydney’s Alicia Powell and her son Thomas, 17, travelled by plane, train and car to be in Bendigo for Princess Charlene of Monaco’s visit.

Ms Powell, a fan of Grace Kelly for more than 30 years, and Thomas have admired the royal family from afar and were determined to see the princess in the flesh.

They arrived in Bendigo on Friday and found a prime position outside the Bendigo Art Gallery before Princess Charlene’s arrival on Saturday.

“When she arrived we had been standing there for three hours lovingly chatting to Bendigo locals and the media,” Ms Powell said.

“When the princess arrived, we were competing against small children, the media and other locals and were not able to have that one-on-one experience.

“We decided to hang around and after one-and-a-half hours waiting... all the media had left and she came out.

“Thomas seized the opportunity and called out to her and she very graciously came over and very kindly accepted his flowers and said a few sweet words.

“I had told her we had travelled 1000 kilometres to see her and she said ‘thank you so much for coming’ and planted one on his cheek.

“He was so excited, he texted all his friends in Sydney.

“He later told me that was his first real kiss – it was very charming. My prince getting kissed by a princess.”

It wasn’t the first royal encounter for Thomas.

As a one-year-old in Monaco, he met Princess Charlene’s husband, Prince Albert.

Ms Powell said she had loved her first visit to Bendigo and praised the growing city.

“We had heard Bendigo was a mini-Melbourne,” she said.

“It was clearly a very vibrant and cosmopolitan city shrouded in history and the people were so lovely and happy.”