Seven years and several turbulent chapters lie between Prince Harry’s (41) and Duchess Meghan’s (44) last visit to Australia and what now lies ahead. As reported by Australian portal “news.com.au”, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are planning a trip to Sydney and Melbourne in mid-April. This is not an official state visit, but rather a trip as part of their business and philanthropic activities – yet the symbolic significance is hard to overlook.
Whether the couple’s children, Prince Archie (6) and Princess Lilibet (4), will accompany their parents down under or remain in Montecito, California, is not yet known. Likewise, specific dates or program details have not been officially communicated. However, given Harry’s close connection to veterans and the armed forces, it seems likely that meetings with Australia’s military community will be on the agenda.
Meghan as guest on Jackie O – and possibly on stage
Particularly interesting is what the news site reports about Meghan’s possible appearances in the Australian media world: According to reports, the Duchess will appear as a guest on the podcast “Her Best Life”, which is produced and co-managed by radio star Jackie O Henderson (41) through her company “Besties”. A similar podcast conversation took place in 2023 with Hollywood star Gwyneth Paltrow (53).
Additionally, Meghan is being discussed as a special guest at a Besties event, comparable to Paltrow’s appearance, who participated in a Q&A with Henderson at Sydney’s Darling Harbour in 2023. The Besties website currently has no events listed, but interested parties are encouraged to sign up for new announcements.
2018: Triumphant tour and hidden fuse
The couple’s last trip to Australia in 2018 is considered one of the most spectacular royal tours in recent history. Meghan was pregnant with Archie at the time, and the mood surrounding the newlywed Sussexes was euphoric. Harry later described the trip in an interview with Oprah Winfrey (72) as a turning point – albeit in a dual sense: “It really changed after the Australia tour, after our South Pacific tour. It was the first time that the family got to see how incredible Meghan was at this job.”
However, royal historian Tim Ewart paints a sobering counterpoint to “Sky News”: “Australia broke Harry and Meghan and was one of the triggers for them leaving the royal family. They had expected to get a lot more praise and recognition for that tour.” Less than two years after the triumph in Sydney and Melbourne, the Sussexes had stepped down from their royal duties and moved to North America.
Split from Netflix, new plans for As Ever
The Australia news follows another remarkable development: Meghan and Netflix are parting ways. The Duchess is taking full control of her lifestyle brand As Ever – including jams, rosé wine, and flower petals. Netflix had secured a stake in the brand as part of a partnership, after the streaming service commissioned a new season of Meghan’s show “With Love, Meghan”.
An As Ever spokesperson told the “Daily Mail”: “As Ever is grateful to Netflix for the partnership during our launch and first year. We have experienced significant and rapid growth and As Ever is now ready to stand on its own feet.” The portal “news.com.au” quotes insiders as saying that Meghan wants to “go global” and is convinced her brand can “stand on its own”. The April visit to Australia may not be a coincidence.