Prince Charles confronted by leaping sheep on trip to stud farm in Australia

 
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Prince Charles nearly wore a woolly jumper today - when a sheep leapt in the air and landed right in front of him.

Charles’s close encounter came on a visit to the Leenavale Sheep Stud in Sorell, Tasmania.

He mentioned the flying sheep when he later met wellwishers in the nearby city of Hobart during a brief walkabout in torrential rain.

A six-month-old trainee guide dog called Indi caught his eye and he joked with her handler Melanie Rowe: “How do you stop them cocking their legs?”

Ms Rowe replied “We were more worried about her jumping up,” and Charles said: “It’s bad enough with merino sheep.”

Charles - in a suit - did not shear the sheep but did throw the fleece - tossing it on to a table so it could be graded.

Expert Lucy Byers, 35, joked: “He did quite well for a beginner.”

And manager Brent Thornbury added: “He was very laid back and was genuinely interested about supporting the wool industry at the grass roots - on the sheeps back.”

The royal couple received one of their warmest welcomes on the tour in Richmond when thousands of flag waving fans turned out to greet them.

Later Camilla met Tasmania’s best-selling romance author Rachael Treasure - who has just penned a book: “Fifty Bales of Hay.”

“We had a giggle,” she said.

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