Prince Harry and Meghan Markle make statement with first stop on Australia trip

Prince Harry and Meghan are in Australia for four days on a visit some have likened to a royal tour. The couple, who stepped back as working royals in 2020, last went to the country together in 2018 and this time their itinerary is packed with everything from visits to charitable causes to private, paid visits.

They could've chosen to start off anywhere, but the Duke and Duchess of Sussex sent a powerful statement when they began their tour in Melbourne. They headed to the Royal Children’s Hospital on the morning of Day 1 - a hospital which Princess Diana and the then-Prince Charles visited during their royal tour back in 1985.

The medical centre is one of the country's foremost children’s hospitals. Other royals who have visited before include the late Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II, who toured the paediatric care hub and officially opened it in 2011.

Queen Elizabeth II: A Personal History by Hugo Vickers | £22.97 (was £28) at Amazon

This biography presents a thoroughly-researched account of Queen Elizabeth's extraordinary life and reign. He sheds new light on the woman behind the crown and traces her story right back to the beginning, taking us through from her childhood to her later years.

View Deal

With so many different places the couple could have visited on Day 1, it’s perhaps not a coincidence that they followed in the footsteps of Harry’s late mother and his father. In a podcast interview in 2022, Harry told retired rugby player Gareth Thomas of his intentional decision to continue the legacy and work of Princess Diana, even after stepping back from royal duties.

He explained, "I think once you get to meet people and you see the suffering around the world, I can't turn my back on that. Then add in the fact that my mum's work was unfinished, I feel obligated to try and continue that as much as possible."

The Duke and Duchess's visit came 41 years after Diana's and was declared a major success by the Board Chair of the hospital, Professor Christine Kilpatrick AO, who told People, "Look around and you can see the crowds of people, the smiles on their faces and what it means to them."

"Everyone is absolutely delighted. You can’t measure the morale boost, but it is palpable," she continued.

The Sussexes will also travel to Canberra and Sydney during their time in Australia and all eyes are on the couple right now, with a lot of scrutiny over the schedule. Emily Andrews, woman&home's royal correspondent, thinks it's "quite confusing" that they're doing public visits "as this is categorically not a royal tour" and they're not representing King Charles or the Royal Family.

Harry and Meghan are said to have hoped to take a half-in, half-out approach before they stepped back as working royals. Queen Elizabeth, it is claimed, was not a fan of this idea, which royal historian Hugo Vickers explores in his biography of the late monarch.

"[Harry] wanted a half-in, half-out arrangement, whereby he would be self-financing but could still work for the royal family," alleged Vickers in Queen Elizabeth II. "In the new year of 2020, the three private secretaries, Sir Edward Young, Sir Clive Alderton, and Simon Case, went into summit mode on the Sandringham estate and drafted their proposal."

"[Harry] went to Sandringham for the meeting and was told it was either all in or all out. He returned to Canada - reluctantly out," the author added.