Harry and Meghan Begin Controversial Tour in Australia

Tue Apr 14 2026 04:26:39 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Harry and Meghan, have arrived in Australia for a four-day private tour filled with charitable visits and commercial engagements. The visit raises questions regarding funding and public safety measures.

Harry and Meghan are in Australia for a four-day tour focused on charitable causes while balancing private commercial ventures. Their schedule includes meetings with medical professionals, veterans, and survivors of domestic violence, alongside keynote speeches at pricey events. Despite the lack of public meet-and-greets, security concerns arise, particularly regarding the costs potentially affecting Australian taxpayers.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have arrived in Australia for a four-day tour which will see them combine visits to charitable causes alongside private, money-making engagements.

The couple - no longer working royals and visiting in a private capacity - will meet patients and medics at a children's hospital, military veterans and their families, and survivors of family violence.

The schedule also reflects the commercial aspect of the trip, with Prince Harry due to give a keynote speech at a summit where tickets cost up to A$2,400 (£1,260) per person.

Meghan will hold an in-person conversation at a women-only girls weekend in Sydney hosted by the producers of the Her Best Life podcast.

It is unclear how much Prince Harry and Meghan are being paid for the commercial events.

The couple landed at Melbourne airport around 06:30 on Tuesday (21:30 BST Monday) on a commercial Qantas flight from Los Angeles.

It is Harry and Meghan's first time in Australia since 2018 when they spent around nine days in the country as part of an intense tour just a few months after their marriage.

While that trip saw large crowds gather to greet them wherever they went, this time there are no events planned to meet members of the public.

After stepping down as working royals in January 2020 and giving up their His and Her Royal Highness (HRH) titles, Prince Harry and Meghan are visiting as private citizens and say that the trip is privately funded.

But there are questions over whether Australian taxpayers are picking up any of the bill for policing during the visit.

The visit will take in Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney, and while charitable causes, issues and organisations close to their hearts are central to the visit, as private citizens, the couple are free to personally profit from the trip.

Prince Harry is due to give a keynote speech at the InterEdge Psychosocial Safety Summit in Melbourne, where tickets to attend cost from around A$1,000 up to A$2,400. Some profits go to the charity Lifeline. The BBC has asked organisers whether the Duke is receiving a fee.