Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are heading to Australia in the coming weeks for a series of both commercial and charity appearances
18:00, 28 Mar 2026Updated 22:59, 28 Mar 2026
Prince Harry and Meghan(Image: PA)
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s trip to Australia might still be several weeks away – but it’s already making headlines. The couple are set to travel Down Under in the middle of April for a series of commercial and charity appearances in both Sydney and Melbourne.
One of the major outings for Meghan will be at a women-only event. She will be interviewed on stage at the 2,699 Australian dollars (£1,440) per person event, where attendees can also pay extra to be in a group photo with the Duchess. While Harry will speak at the InterEdge Summit in Melbourne, which is described as a “professional development summit designed to equip leaders, practitioners, and changemakers with the knowledge and tools to create mentally healthy, safe, and high-performing workplaces.”
Meghan will headline a girls-only retreat in Sydney next month (Image: Getty)
Tickets for the mental health summit start at £1,054, with proceeds of the ticket sales going to the charity, Lifeline. While Australians await for their arrival, a petition has been started with almost 40,000 signatures, demanding that no taxpayer money is used for security while they are in the country or to facilitate the trip. However, a spokesperson for the Sussexes has described the petition as a “moot point” saying the trip is being privately funded.
And former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told he Mirror: “Harry and Meghan must be annoyed about the Australian petition if, as their spokesperson has said, their trip is being privately funded. If so, it makes the petition pointless — but it has achieved one thing: to sour the atmosphere before the couple arrive.”
It comes as sources close to the couple have also hit out at ‘misinformation’ surrounding the visit. One said: “The truth is you have a couple heading down under for work. While they’re in town, they’re going to check in on some charitable causes that they have long supported and – in the Duke’s case with the Invictus Games – he set up.
The couple at the Invictus Games in Sydney in 2018(Image: Getty)
“The couple are critically aware that by just visiting a charity, they can help shine a light on its work – bringing media attention that wouldn’t otherwise exist. They don’t have to do that; they could just as easily get paid and head straight back to California.”
And Jennie added: “As far as I can make out, this is primarily a business trip designed to lay the foundations for a global expansion of Meghan’s As Ever brand.
“With her luxury women’s retreat weekend, and the opportunity to buy a chance to be photographed with her at a glittering gala, Meghan is behaving as the businesswoman she wants to be. There’s nothing wrong with that.
Prince Harry has been involved in a legal battle over his security (Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
“But there’s certainly nothing royal about such a commercial enterprise. And it underlines the point made in the petition that at a time when Australians are facing significant cost of living pressures, there should be no special treatment for high-profile individuals.”
Meanwhile, the topic of security has been a thorny issue for the Sussexes since they quit their royal roles. The Duke of Sussex was stripped of automatic police protection in Britain when he and wife Meghan, left the country after quitting as working royals.
After a lengthy legal battle, which he lost, it emerged that he wrote to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood shortly after her appointment and submitted a formal request for a risk assessment to the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec).
This assessment is understood to be being carried out, with Harry previously saying his security situation in the UK made it “impossible” for him to safely bring Meghan and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, back to his home country.
And Jennie explained: “I think security is still a top priority for Harry and Meghan— and even more so as the Invictus Games in Birmingham and the associated events draw closer. Like the rest of us, they must be wondering why a decision is taking so long.
“Harry has said that the security issue has been the main stumbling block in his ruptured relationship with his father and other members of his family. A decision in his favour could help mend at least one aspect of the rift.”
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