The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s trip to Australia kicks off tomorrow and will see them visit Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney for a series of charitable and commercial engagements
Prince Harry and Meghan have no walkabouts planned during their trip to Australia, which kicks off tomorrow.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are visiting Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney for a series of both charitable and commercial engagements.
Their office says the trip will “focus on mental health, community resilience, and support for veterans and their families, alongside private meetings and special projects”. They are not believed to be bringing their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, with them.
The couple last travelled Down Under in 2018, several months after their wedding, for their first official royal tour together, which saw thousands take to the streets to catch a glimpse of them and shake their hands.
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However, it is understood that the privately funded visit does not include any walkabouts to meet the public, with sources saying “security and costs associated with keeping public order are always at the forefront of planning”.
It comes as a petition on Change.org demanded “no taxpayer funding or official support for Harry and Meghan’s private visit to Australia”, arguing that “public funds should not be used for private visits”, and attracted more than 45,000 signatures.
The New South Wales Police Force said it would “conduct an operation to ensure public safety is maintained during the visit by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex”.
A spokesperson for the force, which is responsible for policing Sydney, said: “The operation will require some additional security measures throughout their stay in New South Wales, while minimising any disruption to the community.” Victoria Police said it “does not provide comment on specific operational arrangements”.
A spokesperson for the force, which is responsible for policing Melbourne, added: “Police are aware two high-profile people are visiting Melbourne in a private capacity in April. Police routinely assess events and visits and will deploy resources as necessary to ensure community safety.” The Australian Federal Police has been approached for comment.
Beginning in Melbourne tomorrow, Harry and Meghan will engage with organisations delivering services to young people and vulnerable women, alongside a visit to one of Australia’s leading children’s hospitals. Meghan will also undertake an engagement highlighting community-led support for women at a homeless services centre.
Harry and Meghan’s office said the couple will “place particular emphasis on the veteran community”, joining families and artists connected to the Australian National Veterans Art Museum and supporting Invictus Australia. It added that this will continue in Canberra, where Harry will attend engagements at the Australian War Memorial, including the Last Post Ceremony.
Harry and Meghan also have engagements with Movember and Australian mental health organisation Batyr. In Sydney, the couple will join members of the Invictus community on the water in Sydney Harbour and meet past competitors.
The visit will conclude at a rugby fixture in Sydney between New South Wales Waratahs and Moana Pasifika at the Allianz Stadium on Friday. The couple will also take part in private commercial engagements separate from a programme of public-facing visits.
Meghan will be interviewed on stage at a “girls’ weekend” retreat in Sydney, costing £1,400 per ticket. VIP tickets for the event at the five-star InterContinental Coogee Beach hotel cost £1,670 and include a group table photo with the duchess.
Her appearance was announced last month by Gemma O’Neill, host of the Her Best Life podcast, which is organising the 300-person event. Meanwhile, Harry will be a guest speaker on Thursday at the InterEdge Summit, which explores the “intersection of leadership, psychosocial safety and human connection in the workplace”.
Delegate tickets for the summit, hosted at Melbourne’s Centrepiece conference venue, are available for £525, with platinum tickets costing £1,250 and a virtual ticket allowing on-demand access to Harry’s speech costing £260.
The Office of Harry and Meghan said: “Across all engagements, the visit will highlight the duke and duchess’s continued commitment to supporting mental health, strengthening support for the armed forces community, and championing the power of connection and shared experience to drive positive change.”
The Sussexes’ official royal tour to Australia in 2018, came as Meghan’s pregnancy with Prince Archie was announced. Harry said in his autobiography, Spare, that Meghan “dazzled” crowds on the “hugely demanding tour”, but warned her she was “doing too well” and “making it look too easy” like Diana, Princess of Wales.
He wrote: “Everyone knew that Mummy’s situation went from bad to worse when she showed the world, showed the family, that she was better at touring, better at connecting with people, better at being ‘royal’, than she had any right to be.”
After returning home to “jubilant welcomes and exultant headlines” following their own Australia tour, Harry said in his memoir that he and his wife began to receive negative press, including a “work of fiction about Meg making her staff miserable”.
The King is the monarch of Australia, one of the Commonwealth realms, and serves as the country’s head of state. Charles visited Australia as King in 2024, accompanied by Queen Camilla, on a tour that saw the couple take part in a community barbecue and a walkabout at the Sydney Opera House.
