Meghan Markle to speak at £1,400 per ticket ‘girls weekend’ on Australia trip with Prince Harry

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are embarking on a four-day visit to Australia that will combine both charitable and commercial activities in Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney.

The couple’s office said the privately funded trip, which will not include their children, will focus on “mental health, community resilience, and support for veterans and their families, as well as special meetings and special projects.”

The visit, which will last from Tuesday to Friday, will not include public walks.

Among the commercial specials, Meghan is scheduled to be interviewed onstage at a “girls weekend” retreat in Sydney.

Tickets for the event organized by Gemma O’Neill Best Life The podcast costs £1,400.

VIP access at the five-star InterContinental Coogee Beach hotel costs £1,670, which includes a group table photo with the duchess.

Meanwhile, Prince Harry will appear as a guest speaker at the InterEdge Summit in Melbourne on Thursday.

The event, held in the Centerpiece auditorium, explores the “intersection of leadership, psychosocial safety, and human connection in the workplace.”

Delegate tickets cost £525, platinum tickets cost £1,250 and a virtual ticket with on-demand access to Harry’s speech costs £260.

Harry and Meghan’s Office said: “Across all engagements, the visit will highlight the duke and duchess’s ongoing 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.”

A petition on Change.org demanding “no taxpayer funding or official support for Harry and Meghan’s private visit to Australia” and arguing that “public funds should not be used for private visits” has garnered 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 Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s visit.”

A spokesman for the force responsible for policing in Sydney said: “The operation will require some additional security measures during their stay in New South Wales, while also minimizing any disruption to the community.”

Victoria Police said it “does not comment on specific operational arrangements”.

A spokesman for the force responsible for policing Melbourne added: “Police are aware that two high-profile individuals visited Melbourne in a private capacity in April.

“Police routinely assess incidents and visits and will deploy resources as necessary to ensure the safety of the community.”

The Australian Federal Police have been approached for comment.

Starting in Melbourne, the duke and duchess will visit one of Australia’s leading children’s hospitals, as well as connect with organizations providing services to young people and vulnerable women.

Meghan will also make an appearance at the homeless services center highlighting community-led support for women.

Harry and Meghan’s office said the couple would “pay special attention to the veterans community” by bringing together families and artists affiliated with Australia’s National Veterans Art Museum and supporting Invictus Australia.

He added that this would continue in Canberra, where Harry will attend engagements at the Australian War Memorial, including the Last Post Ceremony.

Harry and Meghan also have relationships with Movember and Australian mental health organization Batyr.

The pair will join members of the Invictus community on the water at Sydney Harbor in Sydney and meet past competitors.

The visit will culminate in Sydney on Friday with a rugby match between the New South Wales Waratahs and Moana Pacifica at the Allianz Stadium.

The Sussexes undertook an official royal tour to Australia in 2018, five months after their royal wedding, and Meghan’s pregnancy with Prince Archie was announced shortly after their arrival.

Harry said in his autobiography that Meghan had “dazzled” the crowd on the “very challenging tour”, but warned her that, like Diana, Princess of Wales, she had “performed too well” and “made it all look too easy”.

Inside not being able to resist“Everyone knew it was getting worse when my mother showed the world, the family, that she was better at touring, better at connecting with people, better at being ‘royal’ than she deserved to be,” she wrote in her book, published in 2023.

Harry’s parents, Charles and Diana, visited Australia with their newborn son William on the first major royal overseas tour in 1983.

The 21-year-old princess has attracted huge attention from the Australian public and the royal tour has been hailed as a success in promoting the monarchy.

After returning home from his own Australian tour to “enthusiastic receptions and enthusiastic headlines”, Harry said in his memoirs that he and his wife began to encounter negative press, including “a work of fiction that Meg was making her staff miserable”.

Harry also spent part of his gap year living and working as a “jackaroo” on a cattle farm in rural Queensland, saying in his autobiography that “Tooloombilla was nothing like Eton” and that he enjoyed “hard, sweaty, non-stop work” in “brutal heat”.

Don’t write not being able to resist“It wasn’t just work,” Harry said of his nine-week stint in Australia in 2003. “Being the Jackaroo required stamina, but it also required a certain artistry.”

“It was necessary to be an animal whisperer. It was necessary to be someone who read the heavens and the earth. It was also necessary to have superior horsemanship.”

The duke added that he began wearing a felt cowboy hat while in the country and adopted the nickname “Spike” after comparisons were made between his haircut and the spines of an echidna at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo.

The King is the ruler of Australia, a Commonwealth kingdom, and serves as the country’s head of state.

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth became the first monarch to visit Australia in 1954, where she was welcomed by a large crowd across the country and millions saw her in person during the tour.

Charles visited Australia as King in 2024, accompanied by Queen Camilla, on a tour where the couple attended a public barbecue and walk at the Sydney Opera House.

A 1999 referendum on Australia becoming a republic was rejected by 54.4 per cent of voters, despite previous polls showing a majority supporting the change.

Australia’s current prime minister, Labor leader Anthony Albanese, has ruled out a referendum on the issue during his term in 2025, despite being a lifelong republican.