Harry and Meghan are given a heartwarming reception as they visit a children’s hospital on the first stop of whirlwind four-day tour in Australia

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have arrived Australia for a four-day tour of Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were on a Qantas flight which touched down at Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport shortly after 6.30am on Tuesday.

Their visit will ‘focus on mental health, community resilience, and support for veterans and their families, alongside private meetings and special projects’.

A large crowd gathered at Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne for the first stop of their visit.

Harry and Meghan warmly greeted staff at the hospital entrance before they met children and posed for selfies as they wandered through the foyer.

The couple’s children, six-year-old Prince Archie and four-year-old Princess Lilibet, have not joined their parents on the privately funded visit – which will not include any walkabouts to meet the public.

Harry and Meghan will also take part in private commercial engagements separate from a program of public visits.

It’s the Sussexes’ first visit to Australia since 2018, where the couple announced they were expecting their first child.

Single image shows royal fever is still alive for Harry and Meghan

A large crowd has gathered at Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne for Harry and Meghan’s visit.

A group of about 70 staff, parents and young patients waited in the hospital foyer of in excited anticipation for the couple, who arrived at midday.

Many more watched on from higher levels and outside.

Harry and Meghan greeted staff at the hospital entrance, near where the plaque commemorating Queen Elizabeth II’s 2011 opening of the site is installed.

They warmly greeted children and posed for selfies as they wandered through the foyer.

Wearing a black sleeveless dress with gold buttons, Meghan chatted with parents and Harry shook the hand of a little boy, saying ‘give us a big smile!’

The couple appeared refreshed and cheerful, just hours after a 15-hour flight from Los Angeles.

As Harry and Meghan made their way through the hospital, he reached around his back with his left hand to hold hers.

Some parents were here coincidentally having their children treated when they heard about the VIP visitors.

Others were completely unaware.

‘I just came here and was like, what is going on?’ parent Pina Roberts earlier told Daily Mail.

‘Anything that acknowledges us (patients and parents at the hospital) is good thing.

‘But I didn’t even know they were coming, so I would wonder why they are actually here.’

Meghan’s passion for Aussie fashion

Meghan Markle has expressed her love for Australian fashion during the first stop of her four-day tour Down Under with Prince Harry.

The Duchess wore Karen Gee’s Priscilla dress in ink navy during the couple’s appearance at Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne on Tuesday afternoon.

Retailing for $1,250, the dress is described by the Sydney designer as a modern classic.

‘Cut in a sleeveless silhouette, it is defined by sculpted lines, a softly structured skirt, and signature gold button detailing that adds a quiet point of distinction,’ her website states.

‘A self-belt draws the waist in with intention, creating balance and movement through the skirt while maintaining a clean, authoritative shape.

‘Elegant yet assured, the Priscilla dress is designed for women who favour structure, polish, and timeless design over trend.’

The dress is one of several pieces Meghan personally selected from Karen Gee’s collection for the Australian visit, continuing her longstanding appreciation of the brand.

Love Meghan’s dress? It’s available in navy and black at www.karengee.com.

Meghan meeting lifts patient’s spirits

A young girl has shared the selfie she scored with Meghan Markle at Royal Children’s Hospital.

Jasmine Seidl, 12, had spent the morning waiting for scans and appointments when she and her mother Louise heard about Harry and Meghan’s imminent visit.

‘We waited at the front, where we knew they were going to walk in,’ Ms Seidl told Daily Mail.

‘We were lucky enough that Meghan walked past and that she was very kind to stop and have a photo.’

She said that the encounter had lifted her daughter’s spirits, who had unable to go to school or play netball in recent weeks due to illness.

‘I think it’s something that she’ll remember for a very long time and look back on one day,’ Ms Seidl added.

‘It’s something something different, that’s for sure.’

‘It made us smile for a minute. We’re not getting many smiles at the moment, but we’ve got one this morning.’