Prince Harry and his wife Meghan arrived in Australia on April 14 for a four-day visit covering sport, mental health initiatives and veterans' affairs. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex began their schedule with plans to visit a children's hospital in Melbourne, followed by Meghan attending a women's domestic violence shelter, according to a statement from their office.
Their office said their programme will focus on mental health, community resilience and support for veterans and their families, alongside private meetings and special projects.
"Their programme will focus on mental health, community resilience and support for veterans and their families, alongside private meetings and special projects," the statement said.
Over the four days the couple will travel between cities. They are scheduled to go to the national capital, Canberra, on Wednesday to meet military veterans. On Thursday they will attend a mental health summit in Melbourne, and on Friday their visit will conclude in Sydney with sailing and rugby events.
The Sussexes stepped down as working members of the British royal family and relocated to the United States in 2020, citing a desire to be financially independent and to escape what they described as intrusive media coverage of their private lives. Their previous visit to Australia took place in 2018 while they remained working royals; at that time Meghan's first pregnancy was announced hours after their arrival in Sydney.
This latest visit has drawn attention in Australia, where Britain’s King Charles serves as head of state, even though a sizeable minority of Australians support becoming a republic. Despite the public interest, there was noticeably less of the large crowds and official reception that greeted the couple on their 2018 trip.
Television networks broadcast footage they said showed the couple arriving in Melbourne on a commercial flight from Los Angeles and subsequently being moved from the tarmac in a vehicle convoy.
The couple's travel is being privately funded, but local media have reported that some policing costs tied to the visit will be covered by Australian taxpayers. That reporting has triggered a protest petition which had attracted more than 45,000 signatures.
Unlike in 2018, the Sussexes will carry out commercial activities while in Australia. Meghan will remain in the country after the official engagements to host a wellness retreat at a luxury beachside hotel in Sydney over the weekend. Tickets for that event, which features activities such as yoga, manifestation and sound healing, start at A$2,699 per person - A$2,699 ($1,912) per person. ($1 = 1.4114 Australian dollars)
Itinerary highlights:
- Arrival and children's hospital visit in Melbourne.
- Meghan's visit to a women's domestic violence shelter.
- Meeting military veterans in Canberra on Wednesday.
- Mental health summit in Melbourne on Thursday.
- Sailing and rugby events in Sydney to close the visit on Friday.