Nearly seven years after their last official visit, Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, are preparing to return to Australia.
A spokesperson for the couple confirmed that they will travel to the country in mid-April for a series of private, business and philanthropic engagements, marking their first visit since their widely watched 2018 royal tour.
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Down Under carries particular resonance for the couple. Australia formed the centrepiece of their first major overseas tour as newlyweds in 2018, when they were still working members of the British royal family.
That Pacific tour, which also included Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand, unfolded just months after their wedding and was marked by the announcement that Meghan was expecting their first child.
At the time, the visit was widely seen as a defining moment in the couple’s early royal life. Crowds gathered in their thousands across Sydney and Melbourne, and the tour, which coincided with the Invictus Games in Sydney, drew intense international attention.
Yet in the years since, Harry and Meghan have spoken more candidly about the pressures that accompanied that seemingly idyllic tour. In their 2022 Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan, the duchess reflected on the intense scrutiny she faced while navigating her first pregnancy and adjusting to life within the royal family.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle walk down the stairs of the Opera House in 2018. Image: Getty
Earlier signs of that strain surfaced in 2019 during the television special Harry & Meghan: An African Journey. When journalist Tom Bradby asked Meghan how she was coping, she offered a candid reply: “Thank you for asking, because not many people have asked me if I’m well.”
Their return to Australia will unfold under very different circumstances. No longer working royals, Harry and Meghan will arrive as private citizens, their lives now based in California and shaped by a portfolio of media projects, philanthropic work and business ventures. According to reports, their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, will not accompany them on the trip.
There is already speculation surrounding what the visit may entail. Among the rumours is a possible appearance by Meghan on the Her Best Life podcast, the lifestyle series originally launched by Jackie “O” Henderson and Gemma O’Neill through their Besties company. Earlier this year, Henderson revealed she had stepped away from the venture just weeks before her high-profile departure from KIIS FM’s breakfast show.
Meghan is also said to be considering an appearance at a forthcoming Besties live event, following in the footsteps of previous guest Gwyneth Paltrow.
Since stepping back from royal duties in 2020, the couple have continued to undertake international visits tied to advocacy and humanitarian work, including trips to Nigeria, Colombia and, more recently, Jordan in partnership with the World Health Organization.
Their return, though quieter and on their own terms, is likely to rekindle that fascination once again.
Writer
Caitlin Napier
Writer
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