Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will arrive in Sydney on Tuesday for a four-day visit that has been described as a 'faux-royal' tour, starkly different from their 2018 trip. The couple will visit Sydney and Melbourne, with Harry making a solo trip to Canberra. Unlike their previous official royal visit, this tour is private and includes promotional events with high ticket prices.
Harry will speak at InterEdge's 'psychosocial safety' summit on Thursday, with tickets ranging from $498 for virtual attendance to $2,378.65 for the platinum experience. Meghan will headline the 'Her Best Life' retreat, a three-day wellness event costing $2,699 for standard tickets or $3,199 for a VIP experience including a photo with her. Critics have called the events 'tin-eared' given the current economic climate.
The couple will also engage in charitable activities, including visits to the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, a women's homeless service, and the Australian War Memorial. Harry will attend an Invictus Australia event and the Anzac Day last post ceremony. However, there will be no walkabouts due to security and cost concerns.
Royal expert Giselle Bastin noted that the 'celebrity shine has worn off' since 2018, when the couple were welcomed by rapturous crowds. The tour is privately funded, though taxpayer-funded police services will be provided. Daily Mirror editor Russell Myers described the schedule as a 'box-ticking tour'.
Media outlets have criticised the couple's motives, with Nine newspapers accusing them of using Australia as an 'ATM'. Bastin suggested they are testing public reception and 'cosplaying' as working royals to generate income, as they face financial pressures despite lucrative deals with Netflix, Spotify, and Penguin Random House.
