Britain's Prince Harry wants to enjoy his Australian Outback experience without the world's cameras focused on him, his father's press secretary said Thursday in a plea to the media to leave him alone.

The 19-year-old prince is spending three months working on a ranch in central Australia as part of his ``gap'' year between high school and further studies.

Harry, third in line to the throne, arrived in Australia on Tuesday. After a brief photo call in Sydney, where he was photographed with Australian animals at Taronga Zoo, the prince boarded a plane to Tooloombilla Station, more than 600 kilometers (370 miles) west of the Queensland state capital Brisbane.

The 16,000-hectare (39,500-acre) ranch is owned by Princess Diana's longtime friend Annie Hill, and her husband Noel Hill. He is the son of millionaire polo star Sinclair Hill, who has coached Harry's father, Prince Charles.

It seems much of the world's media has followed Harry to the ranch, where they hope to get a photo of him working as a jackaroo _ the Australian term for a cowboy.

Colleen Harris, press secretary to Prince Charles, said Thursday that Harry's visit was private, and issued a plea to the media to leave him in peace.

``Learning about the farm and the jackaroo trade, that's what he wants to do, not dodge the cameras,'' she said in a statement.

``In common with all other tours that he and his brother William have undertaken in the United Kingdom and elsewhere in the Commonwealth, we would ask the media to respect that privacy and to desist from seeking to photograph him,'' she added.

Harry will also take time out from his work on the ranch to play polo and attend the Rugby World Cup, starting next month.

During his stay at Tooloombilla, the prince will learn the cattle business and earn the very unprincely sum of 212.63 Australian dollars (US$142.46) a week.

``He can only do this if he is allowed to live peacefully and in privacy, away from the media spotlight,'' Harris said. ``We would be pleased if camera crews and photographers who are currently at Tooloombilla would withdraw accordingly.''

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