Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are set to touch down in Australia in just a few days but not everyone is excited about it.
The last time they were Down Under in 2018, they were mobbed by smiling, excited fans at every event they attended.
But a lot has changed in those eight years and their star power has considerably faded. A poll more than 8,700 Yahoo Lifestyle readers found 95 per cent were not excited for the couple to visit.
Thousands told us that they “couldn’t care less” that they were arriving soon and made very similar jokes.
“I’ve planned my days and will be busy cleaning my toilet,” said Cheryl.
“I’ll be busy steam cleaning the glovebox in my car,” added Lesley.
“I will be sorting my sock drawer that day,” wrote Marree.
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Royal expert Kinsey Schofield told Yahoo Lifestyle that Australia’s general sentiment towards Harry and Meghan has cooled significantly in recent years.
While she believed the country maintained a “deep connection” to the British monarchy, the same couldn’t be said for the couple who stepped back from their royal duties.
“When Harry and Meghan spend years publicly criticising the institution and members of the family, it inevitably creates friction with audiences in countries that still hold that institution in high regard.
“When they later return to those same countries, the contrast between criticism and continued engagement does not go unnoticed.”
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What will Harry and Meghan be doing in Australia?
When Harry and Meghan were last here, the reception they received was “nothing short of euphoric”, according to Kinsey.
But this trip is going to be very different.
There is still a lot that is unknown about their tour, as their full itinerary hasn’t been released publicly yet.
The couple will be taking part in a number of “private, business, and philanthropic engagements” during their multi-day visit.
It’s understood the couple will be paying for the trip and the security arrangements surrounding it, rather than the taxpayer, and their children will not be coming with them.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were last in Australia in 2018 and the reception they received was nothing short of rapturous. Source: Getty
(James D. Morgan via Getty Images)
Meghan will headline a Sydney-based weekend retreat held by the Her Best Life podcast.
The event will be held at the Intercontinental on Coogee Beach between April 17 to 19, and there’s only space for 300 people to attend.
Tickets, which are still available, start at $2,699 per person and the VIP experience goes up to nearly $3,200.
Prince Harry will be a keynote speaker at the InterEdge Psychosocial Safety Summit in Melbourne, which will be held from April 15 to 16.
According to a leaked itinerary memo seen by the Daily Mail, the couple are also expected to visit a children’s hospital, an Invictus Australia event on Sydney Harbour, a women’s homelessness shelter, an AFL game, and rugby match.
Some of those will be done together, and others will be done separately.
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The memo was reportedly written by the couple’s PR boss Liam Maguire, who had a section responding to the public criticism surrounding their visit that this was a “publicity tour”.
“The programme is rooted in long-standing areas of work for the Duke and Duchess, with a clear focus on amplifying organisations delivering measurable impact,” Liam allegedly said.
“The visit prioritises listening, learning and supporting communities rather than promotion.”
When they toured in 2018, there were a few events where the couple greeted the public, shook their hands, and posed for photos.
However, there will be none of those this time around, according to the memo, due to the security costs of “keeping public order”.
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