Prince William visits flooded Oz town

Thirty-five people died in flooding in the northern Queensland state before the waters moved south into Victoria.

In a low-key visit,William was ferried around by helicopter to meet and chat with survivors in several towns that were flooded,attend numerous community barbecues and hear from local officials about cleanup and recovery operations.

He also visited towns in Queensland that were battered by a huge cyclone in February.

William previously visited New Zealand,where he participated in commemoration ceremonies for an earthquake last month that devastated the city of Christchurch,killing at least 166 people.

The visit came as anticipation builds around William8217;s wedding next month to Kate Middleton.

Australia,a former British colony,is a constitutional monarchy,with Queen Elizabeth II Prince William8217;s grandmother 8211; as head of state,but is governed completely independently from Britain. While Australia has a strong movement backing full independence in the form of a republic,the Queen and most of her heirs remain popular here.