The Duke and Duchess of Sussex touched down in Melbourne on Tuesday, marking their first return to Australia since departing their senior royal positions in 2020.
Harry and Meghan’s four-day journey represents a significant shift from their previous 2018 visit as newlyweds, when they conducted an official 16-day royal tour across Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga.
The couple has emphasized that this trip is self-financed, traveling on a commercial Qantas flight from Los Angeles in business class. However, taxpayer-funded security expenses for police departments have sparked public debate as the Sussexes plan stops in Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney.
Unlike their 2018 tour that drew massive crowds at public gatherings, this visit will be more subdued due to security cost considerations. Their two children, 6-year-old Prince Archie and 4-year-old Princess Lilibet, remained in California. Notably, Meghan revealed her first pregnancy while in Sydney during their previous Australian visit.
Local media coverage has been mixed, with Melbourne’s Herald Sun newspaper calling the trip a “faux royal tour to shore up Brand Sussex.” Additional criticism has emerged regarding the couple’s participation in ticketed events during their stay.
The Sussexes have pushed back against characterizations of the visit as a publicity campaign. Their office released a statement explaining: “The program is rooted in long-standing areas of work for the Duke and the Duchess, with a clear focus on amplifying organizations delivering measurable impact. The visit prioritises listening, learning and supporting communities rather than promotion.”
The statement also mentioned “a small number of private engagements” designed to “support broader commercial, charitable and commercial objectives.”
Royal family media expert Afua Hagan defended the couple’s approach, noting that the Sussexes are often portrayed negatively by news outlets. “This is a privately funded trip. To pay for that, they’re going to have to have some commercial interest,” Hagan explained to Australian Broadcasting Corp.
Hagan continued: “If they didn’t have commercial interest, the problem would be: ‘Oh my goodness, these people are leeching off the Royal Family and the taxpayers whether or not they’re making their own money. How dare they make their own money.’ They can’t do right for doing wrong.”
The couple’s Melbourne itinerary includes visits to a children’s hospital, a women’s shelter and a veterans’ art museum. Harry will make a solo trip to the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, while both will participate in an Invictus Australia sailing event on Sydney Harbor.
The Invictus Games connection holds special significance for the couple, as they hosted the opening ceremonies in Sydney during 2018. Harry established the sporting competition in 2014 as a platform for wounded military personnel and veterans to compete.
