Prince Harry in sword fight in Oman
Prince Harry tried his hand at fencing while visiting Oman.
Harry was given the impressive sword and invited to take on an opponent during a visit to a historic fort in Nizwa, which has stood onslaughts for centuries.
The prince is a serving British Army officer and well used to handling a rifle but looked at home with the ancient weapon. Words: PA
The 30-year-old, who is on a three-day tour of Oman, took on a warrior double his age - Mohammed Moussa, 60, one of a troop of performers - after touring the 17th century fort.
They welcomed the prince with a traditional sword dance known as a razha, which Harry had joined, but then his involvement took on a more serious note.
Lieutenant-General Ahmed bin Harith al Nabhani, chief of staff of Oman's armed forces, ushered Harry forward and the casually-dressed royal handed his sunglasses over and took hold of his weapon and shield.
The swords wielded by the two men clashed and they tentatively traded blows on each other's shields. Harry smiled and clearly seemed to be enjoying himself during the short bout.
Harry later signed the visitors book and described his thoughts about the fort, two hours drive from the capital Muscat, that attracts thousands of visitors every year.
The fortification has an impressive 80ft-high round tower.
The prince wrote: "Thank you for an amazing visit. There is never enough time to see everything, for that I am sorry! The whole place is beautiful."
When asked by a Channel Five News reporter if he was going to keep his fencing sword, he replied laughing: "They didn't offer it to me, so probably not."
When Harry had joined the group of men for the sword dance they taught him how to "catch the sword" or make it wobble.
One of the performers held the weapon upright and it vibrated from side to side in his hand, but the prince took a few attempts to get it right and joked "this is mad".
Harry's tour guide Yahya Al-Azri said: "His Highness was very happy to come to Nizwa, I saw that in his face and in the comments he left in the VIP guest book.
"When he tried to catch the sword the first time he could not do it but when he was told what to do the second time he was excellent."
Harry had made his way to the impressive fortification via a small souk and he stopped to chat to one shopkeeper who sold an array of goods from ceremonial weapons to woven pots.
Ahmed Bin Sayed's outlet had dozens of ornately decorated daggers on display - including one with a handle made from giraffe horn - rifles, studded chests and coffee pots.
The prince asked if permits were needed for the rifles and questioned his guide about how long it took to make some of the goods.
Before leaving the fort Harry toured some craft stalls and was presented with a large bouquet by a group of local children aged four and five who wore national dress.
They had prepared two bunches of flowers as the youngsters thought the prince was married and would be bringing a princess.
Their teacher Jalila Al Sabahi revealed the confusion: "It was for his wife, the children thought a princess would be coming too."
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