Prince Harry challenges Usain Bolt to a rematch on the athletics track

Prince Harry may have taken on more than he bargained after he challenged the fastest man in the world, Usain Bolt, to a race on Monday (22 August),

Wishing Bolt a happy 30<sup>th birthday on Twitter, the young royal cheekily suggested the pair have a rematch of their head to head encounter, following their famous meeting in Jamaica in 2012.

Harry previously went head-to-head with the Olympian on the Bolt Track at the University of the West Indies, as part of the Diamond Jubilee Tour, where he was representing the Queen.

Recalling their first encounter in a message posted to the Kensington Palace Twitter feed, Harry wrote: 'Congratulations @usainbolt - now you're officially the greatest you might be ready for a re-run! Happy 30th -H.'

He added a photo of the two of them on the track during the royal's visit to Bolt's Caribbean home, when the Jamaican athlete let Harry race ahead.

"Let's do it. Respect for the birthday wishes," Bolt tweeted back. The 100m gold medallist went on to win three golds at London 2012, before making history in Rio 2016 with three more.

However, 31-year-old royal may not have expected the nine times Olympic gold medallist to agree so readily to his latest challenge - and this time, Bolt may not be so easy on the royal.

The friendly exchange sent Twitter into meltdown as the reports of the royal race went viral. "Would LOVE to see a re-run," said one royal fan. "Maybe London 2017!? Opening event - Usain v Harry," said another.

It was evident that the Prince of pranks had been cooking up something for Bolt when Kensington Palace tweeted a teaser message ahead of the prince's message, writing: "We were also watching the sprinting closely last week and have a special message for one of the competitors on his birthday..."

Prince Harry has been known to issue sporting challenges on Twitter to his high-profile friends. He famously enlisted the support of the Queen to respond to a challenge from President Obama and Michelle Obama after the First Lady laid down the gauntlet for Prince Harry ahead of the Invictus Games in Orlando, America, on 8 May.

Posting a cheeky video, challenging the British team, the couple looked like they meant business. Facing the camera Michelle says: "Hey Prince Harry. Remember when you told us to bring it at the Invictus Games?"