Harry and Meghan braced for boos on return on this Commonwealth realm | UK | News
After seven years away from Australia, the Sussex couple are returning, but the country they returned to in April is very different from the one that cheered them on in the streets as newlyweds in 2018.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex confirmed a mid-April trip covering private, business and charitable commitments; It is understood that Sydney and Melbourne are also included in the travel program. Given Harry’s deep ties to the military, it is widely expected that he will engage with Australia’s armed forces or the veterans community.
What is less certain is the welcome that awaits them. Journalist Tom Sykes, writing in the The Royalist subreddit, made the blunt assessment: “Harry and Meghan will need thick skins when they arrive in a country where there is no longer a guarantee of a warm welcome.”
‘Lightning rod’
Sykes warned that the couple’s arrival would inflame an already heated debate about the monarchy in Australia. “The Sussexes are likely to become a lightning rod in Australia’s ongoing debate about the royal family and the country’s constitutional future,” he wrote.
A royal insider said hostility would come from both sides. “I think there will be many monarchists and republicans who will not welcome a visit from Harry and Meghan. Any ‘royal’ visit by members of the family who no longer represent the King will inevitably create debate about the monarchy,” they said.
The source added that the trip will sharpen questions about why other royals have stayed away for so long. “Harry and Meghan’s visit will inevitably raise questions about why other members of the family are not visiting there more often. This will shed particular light on the Prince and Princess of Wales.”
The journey comes at an unsettling time for the King and Prince of Wales. Anthony Albanese extended a personal invitation to William and Catherine over tea with Charles at Balmoral last September; July or August has been floated as a possible timing – but those plans have been stalled. The Sussexes have now left them behind.
It has not yet been confirmed whether six-year-old Archie and four-year-old Lilibet will accompany their parents or stay in Montecito.
What 2018 looked like and what was actually happening
The last time Harry and Meghan landed in Australia, the country threw a reception fit for a royal family. Crowds of thousands showed up, Meghan’s unguarded warmth won the hearts of the Australian public and Harry chose the tour to share the news that the couple were expecting their first child, saying he couldn’t think of a better place to make the announcement.
This trip, he would later say, was a turning point in how his family viewed his wife. “This was the first time the family had seen how incredible he was at this job,” he said; already a woman, “one of the greatest assets the family could wish for the Commonwealth.”
Author Valentine Low told a more complex story in his book Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown. While Low acknowledged that Meghan’s “refreshingly informal approach to royal visits has made an impact on the Australian public”, he wrote that things looked very different away from the cameras. Despite the attention she received, Meghan “failed to understand the purpose of all these outings, shaking hands with countless strangers,” he wrote. Meghan has consistently denied allegations of bullying by palace staff featured in the book, stating that she was the one being bullied.
The goodwill in 2018 did not last long after the couple returned home. Within two years Megxit happened. Their next and final appearance together on British soil – at St Paul’s Cathedral in 2022 for a service honoring the late Queen – was greeted with boos on arrival.
