Britain’s Prince Harry and wife Meghan landed in Australia yesterday for a four-day visit with engagements covering sport, mental health and veterans’ affairs.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex began their trip at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, where they took part in an activity in the hospital’s therapeutic garden spaces.
“It was a genuinely meaningful visit for our staff and for the young people receiving care,” said Dr Peter Steer, the hospital’s CEO.
Harry, wearing a navy suit and white shirt, spoke to children and posed for photographs with patients in the foyer of the hospital, calling one of the handmade signs welcoming the couple ‘beautiful’. Meghan, who wore a matching A$1,250 ($885) navy dress by Sydney-based designer Karen Gee, later helped serve food at a women’s domestic violence shelter in the city.
The Sussexes stepped down as working members of the British royal family and moved to the US in 2020, citing a desire to be financially independent and to escape what they characterised as media intrusion into their private lives.
They last visited Australia in 2018 while still working royals, announcing Meghan’s first pregnancy hours after arriving in Sydney. The couple will travel to the capital, Canberra, today to meet military veterans, attend a mental health summit in Melbourne tomorrow and round off the joint leg of their trip with sailing and rugby events in Sydney on Friday.
In contrast to their previous visit, the Sussexes will also undertake commercial activities while in Australia, with Meghan remaining in the country to host a wellness retreat at a luxury beachside hotel in Sydney over the weekend.
Tickets for the event, which includes yoga, manifestation and sound healing, start at A$2,699 ($1,912) per person.
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