Prince Harry and Meghan plan to “press on unapologetically” with the tour model they used during their recent Aussie trip, insiders have revealed.
Sources close to the pair told news.com.au that despite backlash over their “half-in, half out royal” style of visit, they viewed their four days Down Under as a success and will now use it for future tours.
The insider explained that the Sussexes had “tested the model and it works”, and means they can now use “commercial means to help fund other humanitarian and charitable engagements”.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex together spent three days in Melbourne and one day in Sydney last week, with Harry branching off on Wednesday for military-related events while Meghan filmed an episode of MasterChef.
Harry and Meghan – seen here in Melbourne – have just wrapped up their unofficial “royal tour”
The bulk of their activities – including a visit to the Royal Children’s Hospital, youth mental health organisation Batyr, and a Movember panel – were related to their philanthropic work, but were tied in with speaking engagements for each royal.
During the tour last week, a member of the Sussex team told news.com.au that the commercial aspects helped pay for their charitable activities, given that they were travelling as private citizens, not working royals, and therefore weren’t covered by taxpayer funds.
The pair met with fans outside Sydney’s Opera House
Their new tour model appears to be very similar to what Harry and Meghan originally pitched to the Palace before quitting royal duties back in 2020.
During the “Sandringham Summit” with courtiers and senior royals, including the late Queen, Harry was presented with five options for his and Meghan’s future.
As he explained in the 2022 Netflix docu-series, Harry & Meghan, the duke said he chose “number three”, which was effectively “half-in, half-out” and meant they could “have [their] own jobs but also work in support of the Queen”.
But according to Harry, his father and brother rejected the idea.
“It became very clear, very quickly that that goal was not up for discussion or debate,” Harry later said of the tense conversations with his family.
“It was terrifying to have my brother scream and shout at me, and my father say things that simply weren’t true, and my grandmother quietly sit there and sort of take it all in.”
Six years on, and after carving out a new life in the US, Harry and Meghan appear to have circled back to action that initial pitch – this time, without seeking the Palace’s approval.
In a telling insight into his current mindset, just days later, Harry described his current role as “the very thing he was born to do”, claiming he did not recognise the phrase “not a working royal” during a rare interview while in Ukraine.
“You’re obviously from the royal family, you’re here doing a trip bringing attention to a really important cause that risks being forgotten. Do you recognise that description [not a working royal] of you?” The Sun’s defence editor Jerome Starkey asked him, prompting a quick and firm “no” from the prince.
“I will always be a member of the royal family, and I’m here working and doing the very thing that I was born to do, and I enjoy doing it,” Harry told him.
“I enjoy being able to do these trips and being able to come here and support the people I’ve met before, the friends that I’ve made, and hopefully bring attention to the issues that or one reason or another have dropped out of the news.”
The pair will “unapologetically press on” with this style of tour.
Meghan had a paid speaking engagement at a womens’ luxry wellness retreat while Down Under, but also undertook several charity engagementa.
Meanwhile, despite the Sussexes apparently shrugging off the criticism of the money-making aspects of their Aussie tour, it appeared that Meghan and her team were aware of the sensitivities and optics of leaning too heavily on their royal ties while in town.
As news.com.au exclusively revealed at the time, sources claimed that they were left “annoyed” and “very frustrated” over the use of the word “royalty” in her introduction to MasterChef Australia, which was filmed last Wednesday.
They were greeted by a crowd of well-wishers at many of their events
Meghan, appearing as a guest judge, was reportedly outside the door when it happened, and found out about the wording at the same time as everyone else: when Ten aired the promo later that night.
“We’ve had MasterChef royalty in the kitchen before but no one like this,” judge Poh Ling Yeow was heard gushing excitedly in the short clip.
“All the way from sunny California, please welcome to MasterChef Australia … The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle!”
A beaming Meghan is then seen walking through the doors into the MasterChef kitchen, located at Melbourne’s Showground.
“They’re very frustrated,” the source told news.com.au after it aired, adding that they’d “specifically” made clear they didn’t want the word “royal” used.
“They were outside the doors when it was filmed, so didn’t know what had been said.”
