Tongue in cheek! No blushes were spared when Prince Harrymet British field-hockey player Susannah Townsend at a glittering reception on Tuesday, October 18, after they giggled over an X-rated joke.
The prince was celebrating Team GB’s Olympic and Paralympic heroes at Buckingham Palace with members of the royal family, but it was the blonde sports star caught the 32-year-old’s attention.
Gold medalist Townsend, 27, attended the event on crutches following knee surgery last week, after fighting through the Rio Olympics with a leg injury. And her current condition was the perfect segue into a rather colorful conversation between the pair.
“Harry jokingly asked if her leg injury had occurred from a night celebrating in the Team GB parade the previous day, but Susannah just made him laugh by saying she wasn’t even injured and had just used the crutches to get his attention,” an onlooker tells Us.
Known for his quick wit and funny banter, Harry couldn’t hold back his laughter after he noticed a rather naughty innuendo.
“They were discussing her recovery time of six to nine months, but Harry widened his eyes and said he thought she said 69!” the eyewitness adds. “It lead to giggles… about that particular sex position.”
A source adds: “Harry obviously liked Susannah’s naughty personality. He spent a lot more time chatting with Susannah than the other girls and was overheard promising to go and watch her play with the team in the 2018 Hockey World Cup.”
Prince Harry joins the #GBHeroesLDN celebrations with the Women’s @_GBHockey Gold Medallists?at Buckingham Palace pic.twitter.com/2mMhI0CR8P
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) October 18, 2016
Townsend — who is believed to be single and has talked openly about dating both men and women — was one of many Olympians at Buckingham Palace for the event, which was hosted by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip.
Other royals, including Prince William, Duchess Kate, Prince Andrew and Princess Anne, mingled with the likes of boxer Nicola Adams and swimmer Tom Daley in the palace’s 18th century State Rooms, where butlers served drinks and canapés to guests.
Kate, 34, wore a white and red Alexander McQueen poppy-print mididress for the occasion, a patriotic nod to the celebratory mood of the evening.
Team GB collected 27 golds in Rio among their total of 67 medals, making it their best-ever haul from an overseas Olympics. The British Paralympics squad, meanwhile, returned from South America with 147 medals, including 64 golds.
