When Prince Harry and Meghan arrived at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne shortly after noon on Tuesday, a quiet fell over the assembled staff and patients who had come to welcome them. This silence was soon broken by a gentle, collective greeting of “hiii,” as if the crowd was concerned that speaking too loudly might deter the duke and duchess.<\/p>\n
The couple entered the hospital with little fanfare, marking the beginning of their four-day tour of Australia, their first visit in eight years and their initial trip since stepping back from royal duties. They first greeted the hospital’s management in the foyer before moving through the gathered crowd, particularly engaging with the children present.<\/p>\n
Above them, the walkways on the upper floor were crowded with onlookers eager to catch a glimpse as the couple mingled with well-wishers, taking time to interact with medical staff and patients, sharing hugs and waves with those in attendance.<\/p>\n
Throughout their trip, the duke and duchess are set to visit several cities. When asked by a reporter what he was most excited about during their time in Australia, Harry enthusiastically responded, “everything,” adding, “It\u2019s good to be back.”<\/p>\n
The couple spent time with adolescents facing both acute and chronic health issues in the hospital’s adolescent medicine ward before engaging in a group activity in one of the facility’s gardens. Dr. Peter Steer, the hospital’s chief executive, remarked, “It was a genuinely meaningful visit for our staff and for the young people receiving care.”<\/p>\n
The Royal Children’s Hospital has a history of royal visits, including a visit from Queen Elizabeth II when she officially opened the facility in 1963, as well as a visit from Charles and Diana in 1985.<\/p>\n
The couple’s subsequent engagement on Tuesday was scheduled at a center providing services for homeless women, a choice that reportedly aligns with the duchess’s dedication to community support for at-risk women.<\/p>\n
Other planned events during their visit are expected to be more commercially focused and potentially controversial. One such event is an exclusive three-day women’s retreat, headlined by Meghan, billed as a “girls’ weekend like no other,” with ticket prices ranging from $2,699 for standard accommodation to $3,199 for a VIP experience that includes a group photo with the duchess.<\/p>\n
Harry is also slated to be a keynote speaker at InterEdge\u2019s summit on “psychosocial safety,” a two-day professional development event with ticket prices ranging from $498 for virtual attendance to $2,378.65 for a platinum experience, where he is anticipated to discuss workplace mental health.<\/p>\n
This trip is not classified as an official royal tour since the couple is no longer working members of the royal family, having stepped away from their royal roles and relocated to the US in 2020. As a result, it is expected to draw less media attention than previous visits.<\/p>\n
Giselle Bastin, an associate professor and royal researcher at Flinders University, noted that the couple’s previous visit in 2018 was marked by excitement as they were newly married and expecting their first child. “They had a glamour attached to them\u2026 it felt like a new beginning, like the future of the Windsors,” she explained. However, she acknowledged that the couple has faced significant challenges and tensions within the royal family, which have diminished their celebrity allure.<\/p>\n
During their 2018 visit, Harry and Meghan were greeted with enthusiastic crowds, grand receptions, bouquets of flowers, and a meeting with then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Bastin further commented that now, it is widely perceived that the Sussexes are in urgent need of financial support, making their current trip appear to be a desperate effort to capitalize on their former royal status.<\/p>\n
She also recalled that during the 2018 tour, Meghan was overheard expressing disbelief that she was not being compensated for her appearances, highlighting the irony that this time she is visiting Australia for a paid engagement.<\/p>\n
In light of changing public sentiment towards the couple, police have confirmed that taxpayers will cover additional security expenses and public safety measures for their visit, contradicting previous assurances from their representatives that the trip would be funded privately. An online petition urging that Australian taxpayers should not bear these costs has already garnered over 45,000 signatures.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When Prince Harry and Meghan arrived at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne shortly after noon on Tuesday, a quiet fell over the assembled staff and patients who had come to welcome them. This silence was soon broken by a gentle, collective greeting of “hiii,” as if the crowd was concerned that speaking too loudly […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9171,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[263,1643,88],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9172","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uk-australia-news","category-uk-prince-harry","category-uk"],"yoast_head":"\n