Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Australia tour to be ‘watched closely’ by Palace

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be heading to Australia next month.

Harry and Meghan

The couple are heading to Australia next month (Image: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are set to take a trip to Australia next month to carry out a variety of engagements. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who quit royal life in 2020, last visited Down Under in 2018, just months after their Windsor wedding.

While their 2018 visit saw them make the trip as working royals, this upcoming trip will be different, with the couple instead set to undertake a number of private, business and philanthropic engagements. This will include engagements together and apart.

The Royal Family has not commented on the couple’s upcoming trip to the Commonwealth country, however a former royal butler – who served King Charles between 2004 and 2011 – said they will no doubt be watching it closely.

Speaking to JoeFortune, Grant Harrold said: “It sounds like they (Harry and Meghan) are trying to crack Australia, which I think would be a really good idea for them. It’s a Commonwealth country, so has strong ties to the UK and the Royal Family, and brings in the previous work both Harry and Meghan have done with the organisation.

“It will be interesting to see how they are received when they arrive.

“There is a strong move at the moment to convince Australia to stay as part of the Commonwealth.

“It’s a very important country to the UK as the King is still the Head of State. You can guarantee that their visit will be watched very closely by the Government and the Palace.”

Harry and Meghan

Harry and Meghan last visited Australia in 2018 (Image: Pool/Samir Hussein/WireImage)

The former royal butler also said that the trip will be like a “celebrity royal tour”.

He said: “I imagine this tour would be similar to ones they’ve done since quitting the Royal Family, a kind of celebrity royal tour. This means it looks very similar to a royal tour in all aspects – the same kind of engagements, the same meetings and photo ops – but it’s not arranged through the governments.

“ I think they are trying to be ‘celebrity royals’. They want the celebrity lifestyle and the freedom that brings, but I think Harry misses his old lifestyle of regular engagements, shaking hands and meeting people.”