the pair\u2019s first visit<\/a> to Australia.<\/p>\nThe Duke and Duchess of Sussex will visit Sydney and Melbourne during their four-day visit, while Harry will do a solo Canberra trip.<\/p>\n
But it will be a private \u2013 and at times promotional \u2013 tour, not a royal visit, with more lofty pursuits than the pomp and ceremony of representing the firm.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, Harry will be a keynote speaker at InterEdge\u2019s \u201cpsychosocial safety\u201d summit, a two-day professional development event with tickets ranging from $498 for a virtual attendance to $2,378.65 for the platinum experience. He is expected to talk about workplace mental health.<\/p>\n
Meghan will headline the three-day \u201cHer Best Life\u201d retreat in Sydney, including participating in a Q&A. Pitched as a \u201cgirls\u2019 weekend like no other\u201d, tickets cost $2,699 including accommodation, or $3,199 for a more VIP experience including a group table photo with Meghan.<\/p>\n
\u201cBack in 2018 they were newly married, newly pregnant and we were very, very excited,\u201d Flinders University associate professor and royals researcher Giselle Bastin says.<\/p>\ndouble quotation mark<\/title><path d=\"M5.255 0h4.75c-.572 4.53-1.077 8.972-1.297 13.941H0C.792 9.104 2.44 4.53 5.255 0Zm11.061 0H21c-.506 4.53-1.077 8.972-1.297 13.941h-8.686c.902-4.837 2.485-9.411 5.3-13.941Z\"\/><\/svg><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"dcr-zzndwp\"><p>Having to flog $3,000 tickets to a wellness retreat looks quite pointless in the current world climate. It\u2019s tin-eared<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<footer><cite>Giselle Bastin<\/cite><\/footer>\n<\/aside>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cThey had a glamour attached to them \u2026 they felt like a new beginning, like the future of the Windsors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201c[But] there\u2019s been so much fracture and unhappiness around the couple and their relationship with the royals \u2026 the celebrity shine has rather worn off.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">In 2018, they were welcomed by rapturous crowds and met the then prime minister Scott Morrison. Throngs of people attended their public outings, lavish receptions were thrown, and flowers were presented.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">There will be no walkabouts to meet the public because of security and cost concerns.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Instead, along with the luxe wellness retreat, Meghan will be promoting As Ever, her collection of products that the website describes as \u201cmore than a brand\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cIt\u2019s a love language,\u201d it says of its assemblage of jams, spice kits and candles.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cThey\u2019re not reading the room,\u201d Bastin says.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"e3194e9a-63f1-4601-a13e-2ecdc3e8cd0b\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-47fhrn\"><gu-island name=\"RichLinkComponent\" priority=\"feature\" deferuntil=\"idle\" props=\"{"richLinkIndex":14,"element":{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement","prefix":"Related: ","text":"Prince Harry and Meghan to step back from royal family","elementId":"e3194e9a-63f1-4601-a13e-2ecdc3e8cd0b","role":"richLink","url":"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/uk-news\/2020\/jan\/08\/prince-harry-and-meghan-say-they-are-stepping-back-from-royal-family"},"ajaxUrl":"https:\/\/api.nextgen.guardianapps.co.uk","format":{"design":0,"display":0,"theme":0}}\"\/><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cHaving to flog $3,000 tickets to a wellness retreat looks quite pointless in the current world climate. It\u2019s tin-eared.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Harry has said the 2018 tour caused waves in Buckingham Palace because of Meghan\u2019s ability to charm the public.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cIt was also the first time that the family got to see how incredible [she] is at the job,\u201d <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2021-03-09\/prince-harry-meghan-australia-trip-2018-oprah-royals-shift\/13229760\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">he said in a 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">He compared it to a 1983 trip by his parents, Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Revelations in that Winfrey interview exposed the extent of the breakdown of the relationship between Harry and Meghan and the rest of the royals.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">On this trip, there will be a range of sporting, mental health and veteran-related events.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The pair will visit the Royal Children\u2019s hospital in Melbourne, Meghan will visit a women\u2019s homeless service, and Harry will visit the Australian War Memorial, go to an Invictus Australia event, and attend the last post ceremony on Anzac Day.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">It is a privately funded tour, although some taxpayer-funded policing services will <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/national\/taxpayers-to-bear-policing-costs-during-harry-and-meghan-s-australia-tour-20260410-p5zmtr.html\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">reportedly be provided <\/a>to ensure public safety.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Daily Mirror royal editor Russell Myers <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/reel\/1288753189878312\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">told Today<\/a> the schedule looked like a \u201cbox-ticking tour\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/media\/2020\/sep\/02\/prince-harry-meghan-markle-netflix-deal\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">In 2020, Harry and Meghan signed a five-year, US$100m (A$1.42m) Netflix deal<\/a>, a deal that was renewed last year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Nine newspapers published a brutal rundown of the pair\u2019s income stream on Monday, in a piece titled \u201c<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/national\/australia-was-good-to-harry-and-meghan-now-they-want-to-use-us-as-an-atm-20260407-p5zlrm.html\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Australia was good to Harry and Meghan. Now they want to use us as an ATM<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">It noted the couple struggling to afford a 16-room, $14.65m ($21m) house in Montecito, California; while also listing their $20m ($28m) Spotify podcast deal; $20m ($28m) from Penguin Random House <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/books\/2023\/jan\/15\/spare-by-prince-harry-review-dry-your-eyes-mate\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">for Harry\u2019s book Spare<\/a>; a \u201csubstantial sum\u201d from his father for life outside Britain; \u00a36m ($11.4m) inherited from Diana; and \u00a38m ($15.2m) from the late Queen Mother\u2019s estate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Bastin says they still need cash, and are using Australia to raise it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cThey have an enormous output in terms of money and they don\u2019t have as much coming in,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cIt\u2019s a faux royal tour. They\u2019re not working royals.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cI think they\u2019re using Australia as an opportunity to get a sense of the mood, about how they\u2019ll be received \u2026 to cosplay what it might be like if they once again become working royals.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.theguardian.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Prince Harry and Meghan will touch down in Sydney on Tuesday for what has been described as a \u201cfaux-royal\u201d tour that will be dramatically different from the pair\u2019s first visit to Australia. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will visit Sydney and Melbourne during their four-day visit, while Harry will do a solo Canberra trip. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2371258,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2371257","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-royalty"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Less-pomp-more-cosplay-Prince-Harry-and-Meghans-\u2018faux-royal.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2371257","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2371257"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2371257\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2371259,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2371257\/revisions\/2371259"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2371258"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2371257"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2371257"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2371257"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}