Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Australia Tour Has Sparked Very Mixed Reactions

Victoria MurphyFri, April 17, 2026 at 2:13 PM UTC

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Reacts to Harry & Meghan’s Australia TourCameron Spencer - Getty Images

Everyone was in agreement that it was not an official royal tour. Harry and Meghan are no longer working royals—they do not receive public funding and they do not officially represent King or country. Yet their four-day whirlwind visit across Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney had so many hallmarks of a royal tour that you could be forgiven for wondering whether it has become futile to point out the distinction.

But the distinction is, of course, very much there. And this has been central to the reaction towards their trip to a Commonwealth realm where King Charles remains head of state. When Harry and Meghan stepped back as working royals in 2020, the Palace did not want them to be half in and half out. The path they have chosen, with overseas visits and a mixture of philanthropic and business ventures, continues to spark intense debate.

The couple arriving to visit a mental health engagement program at Swinburne University.Pool - Getty Images

“Australia was good to Harry and Meghan. Now they want to use us as an ATM,” read one much-repeated headline in the Sydney Morning Herald ahead of their arrival. They have repeatedly been described as “grifters.” There have been countless opinion pieces condemning this trip as, among other things, a “desperate attempt to stay relevant” and a “pathetic cry for public love.”

Yet, at the same time, on the ground Harry and Megan have drawn large crowds and much praise. “It was fascinating to see the polarising couple in action,” the Daily Telegraph’s Deputy Royal Editor Victoria Ward wrote in a piece headlined, “Harry and Meghan’s Australia tour shows what the Royal family is missing.”

The Sussexes take a photo with patients.Asanka Ratnayake - Getty Images

Their stop at Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital was described by the hospital’s chief executive as “a genuinely meaningful visit for our staff and for the young people receiving care.” And they were praised by a social media campaigners as “kind, warm and authentic.” “Hearing Prince Harry speak at the InterEdge Summit and give his time so generously offered a powerful insight into lived experience, grounding the conversation in something real and deeply human,” said organizers of the mental health summit.

Money has been a big topic of debate around the trip. There have been suggestions that the couple could be raking it in. However, the theory they have charged large appearance fees for some events has been debunked, and it is unclear which, if any, appearances have been paid. Megan also announced herself as an investor in AI fashion platform OneOff, on which she is also selling her tour wardrobe.

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Interestingly, one of the most trailed events of the trip—Meghan’s appearance at a Sydney girls’ weekend with the Her Best Life podcast—was not on the Sussexes’ official itinerary, suggesting that it was seen in some way as separate to the couple’s charitable appearances. As with every aspect of the visit, its meaning and merits have been dissected, with the £1,400 ticket price attracting much discussion.

The Sussexes have made it clear that their costs for the visit are privately funded—something that was not the case when they visited the country as working royals in 2018 at a cost of more than AU$400,000 to the Australia taxpayers (when working royals visit realms, the host country pays). Nevertheless, Australian politicians have been vocal about the suggestion that taxpayers may still foot the bill this time around for policing costs.

Harry and Meghan on their first day in Melbourne.Pool - Getty Images

Ordinary Australians have displayed a range of views about the trip. “I don’t know why they’re coming,” one told the BBC. “They’re very much about self-promotion,” another said. “Honestly, I kind of feel a little sorry for them,” was the verdict of another woman. In Melbourne, one fan gave them presents for Archie and Lilibet and told Australia’s ABC News, “They’re just the epitome of what human beings should be about.”

As is often the case with the royal family, it’s not just what is said that tells the story, but also what is not said. While Harry and Meghan have been impossible to miss in Australia, there has been radio silence from the country’s Governor General Sam Mostyn, the King’s representative there. Similarly, Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said nothing to publicly acknowledge the couple.

It will be a very different picture when King Charles or Prince William next visit Australia. But there is currently no indication as to when that will be. For now, it is the King’s second son who is making waves in this Commonwealth Realm, albeit unofficially on this not royal tour.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”