The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have arrived in Australia for a four-day tour, during which they will combine visits for charitable causes alongside private money-making activities.
The couple – who no longer work for the royal family and are visiting privately – will meet with patients and doctors at the children’s hospital, military veterans and their families and survivors of domestic violence.
The schedule also reflects the commercial side of the trip, with Prince Harry set to deliver a keynote speech at the summit with tickets costing up to A$2,400 (£1,260) per person.
Meghan will host a “live chat” at a women-only “girls weekend” in Sydney hosted by the producers of the Her Best Life podcast.
It is unclear how much Prince Harry and Meghan are paid for commercial events.
The couple landed at Melbourne Airport at around 06:30 Tuesday (21:30 BST Monday) on a Qantas commercial flight from Los Angeles.
This is Harry and Meghan’s first time in Australia since 2018, when they spent about nine days in the country as part of an intense tour just months after getting married.
While that trip saw large crowds gathering to greet them wherever they went, this time there are no events planned to meet the public.
After stepping down as royals in January 2020 and giving up their Royal Highnesses (HRH) titles, Prince Harry and Meghan will visit as private citizens and say the trip is privately funded.
However, there are questions about whether Australian taxpayers will bear any costs for policing during the visit.
Meghan and Prince Harry at a basketball game in California [Getty Images]
The visit will take place in Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney, and while charitable causes, issues and organizations close to their hearts are the focus of the visit, as private citizens the couple are free to personally profit from the trip.
Prince Harry is expected to give a keynote speech at the InterEdge Psychosocial Safety Summit in Melbourne, where tickets to attend cost from around A$1,000 to A$2,400. Some profits go to the Lifeline charity. The BBC asked the organizers whether the Duke received a fee.
And although the official tour ends on Friday night with a rugby match in Sydney, on Saturday the Duchess will host a “one-on-one chat” at a wellness retreat in a five-star Sydney beachfront hotel.
Visitors will pay up to A$3,199 to attend the “girls’ weekend”, with the VIP package including the chance to take a group table photo with Meghan.
It is not known how much the duchess will be paid for taking part in the event, which has not yet sold out and is still advertising “several additional rooms”.
It has also been suggested that Australia is being considered as a market for Meghan’s lifestyle brand As Ever – which features prominently in the Netflix series made by the couple’s production company.
According to the government’s intellectual property database, last year it registered trademarks for 12 different product categories in Australia.
It is understood that the couple chose not to hold public meet-and-greets as they wanted to “minimize disruption” to the public and hosting organisations.
Police in Victoria and New South Wales have confirmed they will be present, although neither police service has commented on whether Australian taxpayers will be responsible.
“The New South Wales Police Force will conduct an operation to ensure public safety is maintained during the visit of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex,” a police spokesman said.
“This operation will require a number of additional security measures throughout their stay in New South Wales, while minimizing any disruption to the community.”
A Victoria Police spokesman said they were “aware that two high-profile people are visiting Melbourne in a private capacity in April”.
“Police regularly assess events and visits and will deploy the necessary resources to ensure community safety.”
Security is a delicate subject for Prince Harry – fifth in line to the British throne – after he lost a court challenge over downgrading his level of protection while in the UK.
The trip to Australia will be his first public appearance since news broke that he was sued for defamation by Sentebale, the African charity he co-founded.