Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s upcoming trip to Australia is already facing hurdles, with both of their paid appearances struggling to sell out less than a week before their arrival.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are due to land in Melbourne on Thursday to begin their unofficial tour, which will see the 41-year-old Prince deliver a keynote speech on workplace mental health, while the 44-year-old former Suits actress hosts an “in-person conversation” at a luxury Sydney retreat.
However, demand for Harry’s appearance at the InterEdge Summit in Melbourne appears to have softened, with ticket prices slashed by half in the final lead-up to the event.
Tickets, originally priced at $1,978, are now listed at $997 on the event website.
The two-day mental health summit at Melbourne Park will feature the Duke of Sussex alongside retired tennis champion Jelena Dokic and other speakers discussing mental health issues.
It’s understood Harry will be paid USD$50,000 (about AUD$70,000) for his keynote address- a significant drop from the USD$1 million (AUD$1.4 million) he was once paid to attend a JP Morgan event in February 2020.
Meanwhile, the Duchess of Sussex is set to receive USD$250,000 (about AUD$355,000) for attending the ‘Her Best Life’ retreat in Sydney, which runs from Friday, April 17 to Sunday, April 19.
The event, organised by embattled radio star Jackie ‘O’ Henderson and her manager Gemma O’Neill, is charging attendees around $3000 each for access to the lifestyle entrepreneur at the Intercontinental Hotel in Coogee.
While organisers initially claimed the exclusive event- capped at 300 guests- had sold out, a fresh update suggests otherwise.
Taking to Instagram on Tuesday, O’Neill revealed the hotel had “kindly released a handful of additional rooms”, encouraging interested guests to enquire via direct message.
The Sussexes have also been warned to brace for a mixed reception in Australia.
A Change.org petition, which has already attracted more than 43,000 verified signatures, argues the couple should not receive taxpayer-funded support during their visit.
The petition states Australians should not be expected to fund the pair’s “security, logistics or government coordination”, given they are travelling as private individuals.
Despite the growing noise, royal commentator Richard Palmer believes Meghan is likely viewing the visit as a chance to reset the narrative.
“Their Australia trip is one of, if not the, most anticipated royal events of the year,” he told The Mirror.Â
“They want to prove their critics wrong, so will be hoping it is a huge success. If it is, it will be Meghan’s revenge.”