This week the Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited Australia. It was the first time since their hugely popular – and successful – visit in 2018.
During their four-day visit, the pair made headlines, with Harry candidly addressing his “disconnection” when Meghan was pregnant and Meghan revealing some of the private struggles she faces every day.
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(Image credit: JOEL CARRETT/EPA/Shutterstock)
On the surface, it was a great trip.
Crowds came out in their thousands; Meghan baked banana bread for their hosts; they even brought much-needed rain to the Outback, and I remember chatting to Aboriginal girls who said that a woman of Meghan’s colour was an inspiration to them all.
But behind the scenes it was a different story.
Palace staff had scrambled to try to cover the trip after relations had broken down with some senior courtiers. The staff who did come seemed stressed, overworked and never entirely sure whether or where Meghan would turn up.
There were apocryphal stories of late arrivals for engagements due to the duchess not being happy with her hair or wardrobe; of fallings-out with Sir David Beckham and Harry refusing to be pictured with him at the Invictus Games (from memory, this was never actually communicated to poor Becks, so he was left to wonder what was up with Harry), and the initial rumblings that Harry had seriously fallen out with his brother, Prince William.
The tour can probably be summed up in a line Meghan was alleged to have said when she spotted the cheering crowds. According to author Valentine Low, she was heard to quip, “I can’t believe I’m not getting paid for this.” (You were, Meghan, BTW, via the UK and Australian taxpayer!)
‘She’s basically Fergie now’
This time, their tour is purely personal, taking in ‘private, business and philanthropic’ engagements. The financial highlights (for the couple, at least) include a weekend women’s ‘retreat’ to be held in a Sydney hotel where the duchess is the guest speaker and VIP tickets cost around £1,700 a head.
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This reportedly led one royal insider to comment acidly, “She’s basically Fergie now.”
Harry spoke at a mental-health event in Melbourne. Crisis support service Lifeline Narrm announced that he was to be a speaker at its InterEdge Psychosocial Workplace Safety Summit, which took place on 15th and 16th April.
It’s been suggested that Harry will pocket £30,000 for his gig, while Meghan’s, hosted by Aussie podcast, Her Best Life, is likely to pay less.
It’s a long way from those crowds I saw on the steps of the Sydney Opera House.
This feature first appeared in Woman magazine. Subscribe now and get your first 6 issues for £1.