Harry and Meghan begin ‘quasi-royal’ Australian tour
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have set foot on Australian soil as they prepare to attend exciting special events.
The first stop on their four-day visit, the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, reflects the couple’s oft-expressed concern and involvement in youth and frontline services.
The latter, at a center providing homeless services for women, aligns with Meghan’s long-standing commitment to providing community-led support to vulnerable women.
But other planned appearances are decidedly more commercial.
Organizers of a three-day women’s retreat say Meghan will headline the special event, planned as a “girls weekend like no other”, while Harry will deliver a keynote address on mental health in the workplace at the Melbourne summit.
Retreat tickets start at $2699, while attending the summit in person will set punters back around $1000 or more.
The privately funded trip is not an official royal tour; The couple are no longer working as members of the royal family after renouncing their status and moving to North America in 2020.
But the decision to use their titles for private interests will be perceived by many as a conflict of interest, according to Giselle Bastin, an associate professor at Flinders University and an expert on the British royal family.
“It is well known that the Sussexes need a serious income and so organizing a quasi-royal tour to Australia is seen as a rather desperate attempt to cash in on their royal status,” he told AAP.
“During the 2018 tour, Meghan was heard saying she couldn’t believe she ‘didn’t get paid for this’ and the irony is that this time she’s coming to Australia and getting paid.”
During their headline-making trip almost a decade ago, adoring crowds clamored to catch a glimpse of the newlyweds, and much of the country erupted in enthusiasm when Meghan’s pregnancy was announced.
Assoc. Dr. “In response, in 2026, the Sussexes stopped working with the royal family and used their media platforms to air their grievances with the royal family,” Bastin said.
“They are thought to have cast a shadow over the final years of the late Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh, and have therefore drawn the ire of many royal followers.”
Adding to the shift in public sentiment was the police’s confirmation that taxpayers would cover additional security costs and public safety operations; This contradicts repeated assurances from the couple’s team that the visit would be entirely privately financed.
An online petition asking Australian taxpayers not to foot the bill has garnered more than 45,000 signatures.
Assoc. Dr. “I suspect many Australians will be disturbed that it is being used as a backdrop for the tour by a couple who are monetizing their royal status for their own personal gain, not for the purpose of strengthening ties between Australia and the monarchy,” Bastin said.
So what’s next for Brand Sussex?
“I think the debts have increased and there isn’t much money for the jam,” the royal expert said.
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