More than seven years after then-newlyweds Prince Harry and Meghan Markle embarked on their Aussie tour, the couple is officially heading back Down Under.
A spokesman for the couple confirmed in a statement on Sunday that they “will visit Australia in mid-April to take part in a number of private, business and philanthropic engagements.”
They added that “further details will be shared in due course.”
It comes after a source confirmed exclusively to news.com.au that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are planning to visit Sydney and Melbourne next month.
While their last trip to our shores was in an official capacity as working members of the royal family, this time around they’re traveling as private citizens.
It’s been rumored that while in Australia, Meghan will appear as a guest on the “Her Best Life” podcast, which was initially launched and co-hosted by Jackie “O” Henderson and Gemma O’Neill through their “Besties” company.
It’s rumored that Meghan will also appear as a special guest at an upcoming “Besties” event, following in the footsteps of previous VIP speaker Gwyneth Paltrow.
The actress took part in a wide-ranging Q&A with Henderson back in 2023 which attracted around 3,000 fans to the International Convention & Exhibition Centre in Sydney – so Meghan’s appearance could be in a similar capacity.
While details of the couple’s itinerary are expected to be confirmed in the coming weeks, it’s likely that Harry’s plans will involve Australia’s armed forces or veterans’ community, given his strong connections to both.
It’s understood he also has a number of friends locally, fostered across multiple previous visits, including during his month-long stay with the Australian Defense Force at an army barracks in Darwin back in 2015.
And in his 2023 memoir, Harry gushed over his time living in Australia as a 19-year-old in 2003.
He wrote in “Spare” that working as a jackaroo — or farmer-in-training — on a farm in rural Queensland had helped him find inner peace during what were “some of the best” weeks of his life.
It’s not yet known whether the Sussexes’ children, Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4, will join them on the trip next month or stay back at the family’s home in Montecito, Calif.
News.com.au understands that the royal couple’s Aussie visit has been in the works for almost a year.
Harry and Meghan’s lives have certainly undergone a dramatic transformation in the seven and a half years since they last came to Australia.
The visit, undertaken in conjunction with Sydney’s Invictus Games and a broader Pacific tour, was deemed a major success and garnered significant international coverage – but less than 18 months later, they quit official duties amid their struggles within the institution and relocated to the US to forge a new life.
Meghan launched her own Netflix series, “With Love, Meghan,” early last year, as part of her and Harry’s previous deal with the streaming giant. The show aired two seasons and a holiday special but is understood to only be returning for one-off episodes in future.
It was released in collaboration with her lifestyle brand, As Ever, which sells an array of cooking and lifestyle products, including edible flower sprinkles, jams, candles and wine.
Netflix initially came onboard as a partner in the rollout of As Ever, but it was reported on Friday that the two parties have now split, with Meghan taking “complete control” of her business.
Meanwhile, since quitting royal duties, Harry has largely been focusing on his charity work and initiatives related to the Invictus Games, both of which have seen him return to the UK a number of times in recent years.
The duke and duchess have just returned from a whirlwind two-day tour in Jordan focused on highlighting organizations supporting vulnerable communities impacted by conflict and other regional issues.
They were invited to the Middle East by the World Health Organization’s director-general Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who hosted them for a roundtable discussion alongside diplomats and senior figures from UN agencies.
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