The fourth child of Queen Victoria, Prince Alfred was the first member of the British royal family to visit Australia, which he did in 1867-1868. His tour, which took in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, sparked tumultuous scenes and outpourings of loyal sentiment.
An assassination attempt on the prince by an Irish Australian, Henry James O'Farrell, took place in Clontarf, Sydney, on 12 March 1868. This triggered a wave of anti-Irish sentiment in the colonies, and public 'indignation' meetings were held. Even though O'Farrell was shown to be insane, he was tried and hanged less than six weeks after the incident.
Prince Alfred made further informal visits to the Australian colonies in 1869 and in late 1870 - early 1871.