Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will return to Australia in mid April, with a spokesperson confirming on Sunday that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are due in the country for private, business and philanthropic engagements, with Sydney and Melbourne reported as planned stops. For Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, it will be their first visit to Australia in more than seven years, and this time they are travelling as private figures rather than working royals.
For context, the announcement follows a recent two-day trip to Jordan with the World Health Organisation, described in coverage of the Australia plans as the couple's first international tour in 18 months. Their spokesperson's statement was brief and careful, saying only that they would visit Australia in mid-April and that further details would be shared in due course, which leaves a good deal of the trip still under wraps.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle confirm Australian visit in Aprilhttps://t.co/AtfuVRhhSGvia@ABCaustralia@ZandiSussexI will be looking to your commentary...
The immediate reason, at least publicly, is straightforward. The Sussexes say the trip will centre on a mix of private, business and philanthropic work, suggesting a visit built around the post royal portfolio they have spent years assembling since leaving frontline royal life.
That matters because the symbolism of an Australia return is hard to miss. Harry and Meghan's 2018 tour of Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand was one of the defining episodes of their early married life in the monarchy, and the continent has lingered in the public imagination as both a triumph and, later, a turning point.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Announce Australia Visit, Marking Their Return to the Continent After More Than 7 YearsThe Duke and Duchess of Sussex have several engagements in Australia scheduled for April, a spokesperson confirmedpic.twitter.com/hq4TVPz8Wt
In his 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Harry said things 'really changed after the Australia tour,' a line that has hung over any discussion of a return ever since.
This visit, though, appears to be built on an entirely different premise. Australian coverage says the couple will not be there in any royal capacity and are instead expected to focus on charitable interests, business projects and media related commitments.
It is a subtle but important distinction, because the Sussexes are no longer representing the crown and no longer pretending otherwise.
The firmest detail so far is geographic rather than programmatic. News.com.au, cited across multiple reports, says Sydney and Melbourne are the expected destinations, though a full itinerary has not yet been released.
Source: International Business Times UK
