It’s been a whirlwind of a week, but royal headlines have been dominated mainly by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s visit to Australia.
The highly anticipated trip marked their first return to the country since visiting as newlyweds in 2018, and it’s hard to emphasise just how much has changed in the eight years since. For one, they’ve welcomed two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, and moved permanently to the US. And significantly, they are no longer senior members of the royal family.
‘Quasi-royal’ tour
If you were to look at the tour agenda, however, this wouldn’t be immediately obvious. The four-day visit Down Under has been dubbed “quasi-royal” – and it’s easy to see why. The first day saw the couple meet with patients and staff from the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, which was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in October 2011 as part of a royal tour. Harry’s parents, the King and Diana, Princess of Wales, also visited the hospital in 1985 – another distinctly royal visit.
There’s been all the aspects of a classic royal tour – a hospital visit, paying respects at a war memorial, and Harry even kicked a football about, just like his brother Prince William has done many a time on royal engagements.
Ahead of the trip, a spokesperson for the Sussexes described it with three words: “private, business, and philanthropic”.
‘Chilled-out’ royals
There have been some lovely – and personal – moments during the visit, and the Sussexes appear to have attempted a new form of “chilled-out” royalty.
“Call me Meg,” the Duchess instructed as she arrived at the hospital on Tuesday, urging crowds to ignore her royal title (though tellingly in an appearance on MasterChef Australia, she was introduced as the Duchess of Sussex). A relaxed Harry went a step further, casually telling crowds to address him “however you like”. The Duchess was then complimented by a royal fan for looking like a “model” and having “no wrinkles”, while Harry exclaimed “gingers rule!” when he spotted a fellow redhead.
They were strikingly open too – at the InterEdge summit in Melbourne, Harry spoke about how he no longer wanted to be a royal after his mother died, while Meghan opened up to students about her experience of being the “most trolled person in the world”, before embarking on her £1,400-a-ticket “girls’ weekend” on Friday.
What could have been?
When Harry and Meghan got married in 2018, many of us saw them as a breath of fresh air. And I think this tour proves that, in many ways, they still are.
It now poses the question: are Harry and Meghan showing what the royal family could have been, an exciting change for a very formal institution?
But if you look at William and Catherine’s recent interactions with the public, you won’t find any of the stuffiness that can be associated with royalty there either. The Waleses, too, frequently take selfies with the public, chat about their children and the weather, and take a deep interest in those they meet. (Autographs, notably, are still not allowed.)
It was only in February that William appeared on Radio 1 to talk about mental health and “understanding my emotions”, emphasising the importance of breaking generational stigmas.
And Harry and Meghan’s visit has been met with mixed reactions, both in the UK and Australia. They’ve clearly won over crowds and those they’ve met, but others remain sceptical about the visit and how it’s being funded. As one person in Sydney very bluntly put it, when interviewed by the BBC ahead of their arrival: “I don’t know why they’re coming.”
Meghan also raised eyebrows this week when it was revealed she had joined and invested in OneOff, an AI platform including purchasing links to her various outfits, from which the Duchess can earn an affiliate sum.
It's said that this has caused "considerable concern" within the palace, while one source told The Daily Mail it was "exactly" what the late Queen Elizabeth II would not have wanted. Their lucrative paid appearances also seem a far cry from traditional royal etiquette, while others take a more sympathetic view that the Sussexes do have bills to pay.
At the Sandringham summit in 2020, Harry and Meghan were famously told they could not be “half in, half out” royals. But this royal-style tour seems to attempt exactly that.
I’m still not sure if they can have it both ways…
Royals abroad!
Harry and Meghan aren’t the only ones who’ve ventured out this week for a trip abroad.
I absolutely loved Queen Maxima’s rich burnt orange ensemble for a dinner with Donald Trump at the White House this week. The Claes Iversen dress in bright orange was clearly flying the flag for the Netherlands, a perfect example of diplomatic dressing.
I think my favourite moment was when they played a game of dominoes with locals, sharing a high-five after winning a game. It was witnessed by our US Royal Correspondent, Alex Hurtado, who made a special visit to accompany them. You can watch Alex’s video diary here.
And speaking of other royals abroad, Princess Madeleine of Sweden has also been in New York this week, while Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway is back in Sydney to resume her studies in social sciences.
