The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are preparing to travel to Australia later this month. And while it was originally thought that Harry and Meghan would only be spending a few days Down Under, with the highlight being the Duchess' appearance at a retreat, HELLO! can reveal that the tour will be a much bigger operation than anticipated.
In the latest episode of A Right Royal Podcast, our Royal Editor Emily Nash revealed: "I gather that it's going to be a longer visit than we initially expected. We were told it was just going to be a handful of days and largely based around Meghan's appearance at this retreat. But actually, it looks now like it's going to have more shades of 2018."
Emily added: "There is going to be quite a mixture of public and private engagements, opportunities for the public to interact with them, which will be very, very interesting.
"And it's going to be across three cities. We know they're going to be in Melbourne. There is going to be a visit to Canberra, and then to Sydney, where obviously the retreat is taking place. So I think it's going to end up being a lot more high profile than we initially anticipated."
© Getty ImagesWhen asked by co-host Andrea Caamano whether the Australia trip perhaps started out on a smaller scale, before expanding significantly after it became known that Meghan would be appearing at the Her Best Life retreat, where tickets start from £1,400 for access to events including a gala dinner, meals, and two nights at the InterContinental Hotel in Sydney, Emily said: "Yes, it's entirely possible that that's the case.
"We know that Meghan's wanting to launch her brand there, so if other opportunities come up, I'm sure that she will have jumped on them."
Emily added: "And then similarly, Harry has a big military connection to Australia. He served out there briefly with the Australian Defence Force. He will want to catch up with his connections there and of course it hosted Invictus in 2018, so he'll certainly be looking up that community again while he's there."
Watch the full podcast episode for more details below:
Harry and Meghan's potential itinerary
Meghan's involvement in the Her Best Life retreat was first announced in early March, when early bird tickets went on sale. Part of the experience, which runs from 17 to 19 April, includes an in-person conversation with the Duchess and a gala dinner.
A spokesperson for the couple then confirmed in a statement: "Prince Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, will visit Australia in mid-April to take part in a number of private, business, and philanthropic engagements. Further details will be shared in due course."
© Getty ImagesWhile Meghan engages in various media opportunities, it is believed Harry will take the time to visit old friends from his time in the armed forces and get involved with events concerning Australian veterans.
The 41-year-old is said to have many friends in the area that he made during previous visits and his month-long stay at an army barracks in Darwin in 2015 with the Australian Defence Force.
Harry has spoken about his love for the country in the past, even referencing it in his tell-all memoir, Spare. The Prince revealed that the time he spent working on a farm in rural Queensland was "some of the best" weeks of his life as it helped him find peace and a sense of "family".
Shades of 2018
The Sussexes famously visited Australia as newlyweds in 2018 as part of their Australasia tour, where they also travelled to Fiji, Tonga, and New Zealand. At the time, Meghan's pregnancy with their first child, Archie, had just been announced and Sussex mania had peaked.
© Pool/Samir HusseinOn that trip, the couple attended the Invictus Games in Sydney, including the opening and closing ceremonies, and joined a mental health group discussing mental health awareness on Bondi Beach. The tour was seen as a triumph at the time, with Harry and Meghan carrying out over 70 engagements in two weeks and drawing in huge crowds at public walkabouts.
