Channel Seven journalist Paul Dowsley has been caught in an awkward gaffe after attempting to get a selfie with Prince Harry – and being prodded away.
Dowsley, who is currently reporting on the couple’s visit to Melbourne, was seen being shooed away by the Prince in pictures shared by the Daily Mail.
On Thursday, Harry and Meghan were given a tour led by First Peoples guides of Scar Tree Walk in Fitzroy Gardens, a protected cultural heritage site.
However, as the couple took part in what was supposed to be a culturally immersive walk, they were ambushed by Seven reporter Paul Dowsley, who attempted to lean in for a selfie with Harry.
Dowsley was thought to be on good terms with the Sussexes, having been seen engaging in friendly chats with their publicist Liam Maguire earlier in their tour.
However, the journalist’s presence near the couple while they were filming British press coverage with PA Media reportedly started to attract attention from the Sussex camp.
Tensions seemed to reach boiling point when Downsley attempted to take a selfie with the Prince, blocking Meghan Markle’s way.
The Duke of Sussex looked less than impressed as he “appeared to prod Dowsley out of the way of Meghan’s path” according to the Daily Mail.
Afterwards, Dowsley appeared to brush off the awkward interaction in an interview with the outlet.
“I suppose it’s a break in protocol to ask for a selfie with a royal but he told me that I’m always so well-dressed,” he said.
Dowsley has been enthusiastic about his run-ins with the royals during their Australian tour on his social media accounts.
Dowsley has been enthusiastic about his run-ins with the royals during their Australian tour on his social media accounts. Picture: Instagram
“New besties”, he wrote across one post, captioning another picture: “I’ll frame this, then straight to the pool room?” Picture: Instagram
On Tuesday, he posted a number of pictures of Harry and Meghan to Instagram, showing his attempts to chat to the couple as they entered the Australian National Veterans Arts Museum.
However, his efforts were to no avail after he was ignored by the Sussexes and left awkwardly trailing after them, microphone in hand.
“New besties”, he wrote across one post, captioning another picture: “I’ll frame this, then straight to the pool room?”
This isn’t the first embarrassing moment Dowsley has experienced during Harry and Meghan’s Australian tour.
On Monday, he falsely stated on Channel Seven that SkyNews.com.au, along with the Daily Mail and Daily Mirror, had breached a key embargo by sharing details of the couple’s Australian itinerary.
In documents seen by SkyNews.com.au, the Sussexes’ publicist Liam Maguire personally emailed Seven falsely alleging an embargo agreement had been breached by this newsroom.
Sky News Australia had not received any information under embargo, meaning no agreement could have been broken. The information was in the public domain after being published by British media.
When approached by SkyNews.com.au, Maguire backtracked on the statement, saying “we acknowledge that neither outlet was formally bound by the embargo”, and instead accused the newsroom of a “clear disregard for basic journalistic ethics”.
