Harry and Meghan plan to be ‘half-in, half-out’ royals

The sticking point will always be the couple’s need to make money.

That clash between public duty and personal interests was drawn into sharp focus this week as high-profile visits focused on mental health, and military veterans were mixed with commercial opportunities.

As the Duke spoke to a live audience about the pressures of fatherhood, a shiny new website was launched positioning the Duchess as a fashion influencer. Every item of her tour wardrobe has since been swiftly added, alongside affiliate links from which she will take a cut of profits.

On Friday, after joining sick and injured military veterans on a boat trip around Sydney Harbour, the Duchess was interviewed on stage at a “girls’ weekend” retreat that cost £1,400 per ticket and saw her pocket a decent sum.

Aides insisted that the fee allowed the couple to break even, funding the cost of their nine-strong team to fly to Australia, their accommodation and security.

“This is how life is for 99.99 per cent of the world,” one source said. “They have got to work to make a living, they have to pay the electricity bill just like everyone else. They are not funded by the taxpayer.”

Team Sussex is acutely aware that the pre-tour criticism largely concerned the cost to the public purse.

“It’s important for them and for us as a team to make sure that these tours are not funded by the taxpayer, nor the charities they are trying to shine a light on, but through private means,” one aide said.