Prince Harry Joked About "Budgie Smugglers" & Now The World Is A Little Bit Brighter

You probably already know that Prince Harry is both committed to causes and is oh-so-charming, but you might not have known that he's pretty dang funny, too. Indeed, the royal has a tendency to add some much-needed humor into his daily royal duties, but his latest joke might have some Americans doing a quick Google search about what "budgie smugglers" are exactly. The phrase is admittedly fun to say, especially with a British accent, but budgie smugglers are actually a cute name for what Prince Harry might wear to the pool on a hot day.

Indeed, the phrase budgie smugglers is a British and Australian nickname for men's teeny bikini swimsuits, like Speedos. In fact, according to Mashable, the phrase is actually in the Oxford English Dictionary as of 2016. The dictionary describes them in a sentence as such: "You can take a dip, once you’ve pulled on your budgie smugglers, an evocative Australian term used since the 1990s to refer to a pair of close-fitting men’s swimming trunks."

But why is Prince Harry, who's sixth in line to the throne, talking about budgie smugglers? This silly budgie smuggler business all started when Prince Harry was interviewed while in Australia last fall, in October 2018, about his role in creating the Invictus Games, a multi-sport competition for wounded, injured or otherwise ill armed services personnel or veterans from across the world. At the time, according to Hello! Magazine, Prince Harry was gifted with a "Team Australia" green Speedo for the country's version of the competition. And, yup, he tried them on, as you can see in a video shared on YouTube.

Following this memorable and cute moment, Prince Harry followed up by mail with Dylan Alcott, the Australian Paralympian who had gifted him with the budgie smugglers in the first place. On Monday, Aug. 19, Alcott took to Twitter to share a photo of a letter from Prince Harry, dated July 31, congratulating him on a recent win at Wimbledon. "Your achievements are extraordinary, and the impact you have had in raising awareness and changing perceptions of disability is really inspiring," Prince Harry wrote in the letter. But it was the postscript to the royal letter that really had people cracking up, which read:

PS - I'm wondering if you wore your Invictus Games budgie smugglers on the big night to accept it? Mine have come in handy in this recent U.K. heatwave!

Alcott also shared on Twitter that he was "Pen pals with the Duke of Sussex himself" and said Prince Harry was "an absolute legend."

This whole exchange is so heartwarming to see, especially when the royal family, but especially Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, are often criticized. Though the royal family certainly lives a privileged life, they're also thoughtful public ambassadors. From Prince William's support of causes that raise mental health awareness and Kate Middleton's focus on early childhood development to Prince Harry's work with the Invictus Games, they're working to do good and leave their mark.

And, hey, if you're willing to don some budgie smugglers as part of the job, I think that's commitment.