Prince William hosts ‘heartening’ video chat with flood-affected Australians

A pub owner who was among a handful of Australians from flood-hit states included on a royal video call with Prince William says he initially thought he was being pranked by a mate.

The Prince of Wales hosted the catch-up last night in what was described as a “heartening but heartbreaking” chat with those from the frontline of the nation’s flooding crises.

Five Australians were selected: Shepparton small business owners Daniel Cleave and Curtis Arthur, NSW State Emergency Service member Grace Langlands, Nindilingarri Health Service CEO Maureen Carter, from WA’s Kimberley region, and Overland Corner Hotel owner Brad Flowers, from SA.

During the call — a small extract of which was released on the Prince of Wales’ YouTube channel — the prince asked each about their experiences, and offered words of encouragement and reassurance.

“You’ve got people like you guys looking out for each other and supporting each other, that’s what really matters. You’re getting everyone through it,” he said.

Each of the participants shared stories about what they had confronted in recent days and weeks, with Mr Cleave and Mr Arthur describing delivering food and supplies in a canoe.

“The only way I can describe it is walking into a war zone — just the amount of force, and cars on top of cars, and just never actually realising the power behind water and the damage it can create,” Ms Langlands said.

‘Video chat and a beer with the prince’

Mr Flowers — who remains cut off by floodwaters from his historic pub at Overland Corner in SA’s Riverland — deeply appreciated the chance to talk about the ongoing crisis.

But he said he initially almost dismissed the opportunity as a “mate of mine” pranking him.

“I was lucky enough to receive a call which I thought might have been a prank call but it was from the Governor-General’s office,” he said.

“They said the prince was really interested in reaching out, communicating and touching base with a couple of people in Australia who have been affected by the floods.

“When I opened up the laptop and Buckingham Palace was calling … I thought, ‘Hang on, this is a little bit more serious’.

Mr Flowers said the call lasted about 40 minutes — but he wasn’t the only member of his family to be granted an audience with the future king.

“My son snuck into the room I was sitting in and slowly edged his head into the camera shot, the prince was laughing at the fact I kept pushing him away,” he said.

“He then said g’day and had a bit of a chat with him and introduced himself, so that made his day.”

Neither a staunch republican nor an ardent monarchist, Mr Flowers said that “after chatting last night, I like to say I’m a bit of a royalist”.

“I made sure to tell him there’s a schnitzel and a beer waiting for him and he assured me that when he was down in Australia he’d make the time,” he said.