Harry and Meghan just received a huge slap in the face – and they better get used to it

The Sussexes wanted to create a commercial storm Down Under, but Chris Riches argues instead it may have been a largely ignored, gentle breeze.

As Prince Harry and Meghan Markle return to California, they will chirp: “Strewth! Our ‘royal tour’ to Australia was a roaring success!” But one perfect image of apathy sums up the response to their visit, as even the largely monarchy-hating BBC admitted: “Most Australians the BBC spoke to were either unaware or uninterested in the couple’s visit.”

Last Friday, after a private meeting with first responders and survivors of last year’s December 14 Bondi terrorist attack, where 15 people died, the Sussexes wandered down to the Sydney shore to watch a surf lifesaving demo. But as dozens of celebrity-obsessed Aussies mobbed the couple, they almost all streamed past an unfazed sunbather lying on her towel, who completely ignored the commotion.

Reading her book, she made no attempt to get out of Harry and Meghan’s way and barely glanced up – even as Harry appeared to notice and point to her. It must feel like a huge slap in the face for the couple.

The incident’s now gone viral with social media users hailing her as a legend.

One wrote: “Love this woman!”

But the hilarious blanking of the Sussexes has also sparked a wider debate that began weeks before Harry and Meghan even landed in Australia: Does anyone care they are there?

Harry and Meghan wanted the trip to showcase their ‘half-in-half-out royals’ ambitions – blending charity work and speeches preaching love and kindness with their money-making, where you can kindly buy their lovely jam.

The couple are not working royals, their Megxit to LA saw to that in 2020, so they flew Down Under in a private capacity.

But as the BBC admitted: “With an itinerary of Indigenous culture, Australian sport, multiple good causes and a trip to the national war memorial, it had all the hallmarks of a traditional royal tour.”

Giselle Bastin, an associate professor at Flinders University with a research interest in Australia’s relationship with the monarchy, said: “If they think it’s gone well, it’s because nothing has gone wrong.

“They managed to minimise the risk of people having a negative reaction, or hecklers calling out or booing them – it has been very carefully controlled so they ‘spontaneously appear’ at places.”

The couple hit the beach (Image: Getty Images)

The Sussexes’ PR machine insisted the couple “connected” with Australians.

The words “connection” or “connected” were mentioned 30 times across their press releases issued to journalists during the visit. They mentioned “community” on 21 occasions and “wellbeing” eight times.

Yet ultimately, the trip was to further the Sussexes’ interests – not Britain’s or the Royal Family’s.

Harry spoke at a summit on mental health about life as a royal. Tickets for the event were sharply reduced in price, but still cost nearly A$1,000 (£520) a head.

Organisers repeatedly refused to confirm whether Harry got a fee, only carefully wording that “all ticket proceeds” went to the Australian charity, Lifeline.

Meghan was paid to appear for a couple of hours at a glitzy “girls only” weekend retreat with VIP tickets costing A$3,199 (£1,725).

She was also unveiled as an investor in OneOff – an AI platform that gives fashion suggestions based on the styles of celebrities and influencers, with a small cut of sales going to the featured stars. The Duchess’s profile on the app already features items she has worn during the Australian tour.

Referencing the couple’s original trip to Oz in 2018 after their wedding, The Sydney Morning Herald proclaimed: “Australia was good to Harry and Meghan. Now they want to use us as an ATM.”

We hear you – many Americans and Brits feel the same.