Prince Harry and wife Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, have touched down in Australia for a four-day swing that blends charity visits with high-priced speaking gigs—and no public walkabouts, the BBC reports. Now private citizens rather than working royals, the Sussexes will visit a children's hospital, meet veterans and families, and speak with survivors of domestic abuse in Melbourne, Canberra, and Sydney.
The commercial side is drawing scrutiny. Harry is set to deliver a keynote at Melbourne's InterEdge Psychosocial Safety Summit, where tickets run up to about $1,700 USD, while Meghan will headline an "in-person conversation" at a women-only "girls' weekend" at a luxury Sydney hotel, with packages costing up to almost $2,300. Their appearance fees haven't been disclosed, and it's unclear if Australian taxpayers will cover any policing costs, though authorities in Victoria and New South Wales say they'll deploy officers for security. Though the couple has described the visit as privately funded, the question of security costs is raising scrutiny, the AP reports. So, too, are those aforementioned appearance fees; Melbourne's Herald Sun newspaper described the visit as a "faux royal tour to shore up Brand Sussex." Meghan will indeed be promoting her lifestyle brand while there, the Guardian reports.
The couple, who last visited Australia in 2018 on an official visit and greeted large crowds, have opted against public meet-and-greets this time, saying they want to limit disruption. (It was during that 2018 visit that Meghan announced her first pregnancy; their two children are not with them on this trip.) The trip comes as Harry contests the downgrading of his security arrangements in the UK and after news he is being sued for defamation by Sentebale, the charity he co-founded.
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