Prince Harry and Meghan Markle statement issued amid damning petition over Australia trip
The Sussexes head down under next month!Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s team have hit out at a petition regarding their upcoming trip to Australia.
Next month, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will travel Down Under for a tour, which has sparked some backlash.
A petition was set up in November by advocacy group Beyond Australia ahead of the couple’s arrival. The petition description reads: “Prince Harry and Meghan are visiting Australia in April 2026. As this is a private visit, Australian taxpayers must not fund security, logistics or government coordination.”
It added: “At a time when Australians are facing significant cost-of-living pressures, including rising grocery bills, fuel prices, mortgage stress driven by interest rate hikes, and increasing energy costs, public resources must be used responsibly and applied fairly, without special treatment for high-profile individuals.”
At the time of writing, the petition has more than 35,000 signatures.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s team address petition over Australia tour
The petition description concluded: “The Australian Government must clearly confirm that no taxpayer-funded support or official resources will be allocated to this visit!”
Alongside the petition, an image of Harry and Meghan with the words “we don’t want you here” was included.
The trip is being funded privately, so I’m not sure what this petition hopes to achieve.
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Now, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s team has addressed the petition and the concerns raised over how the tour will be funded.
A spokesperson for the couple has said: “The trip is being funded privately, so I’m not sure what this petition hopes to achieve.”
Meghan Markle’s retreat in Australia
During their tour, the Duchess of Sussex has been confirmed as a participant at the “Her Best Life Retreat” taking place in Sydney between April 17 and 19.
According to the Her Best Life website, the retreat will be an “unforgettable weekend for women ready to reconnect, recharge and have some serious fun”.
The website says that the “highlight of the weekend will be an in-person conversation with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex”.
The gathering has already sold out all available places, with tickets reportedly starting at A$2,699 (£1,400).
Harry and Meghan last visited Australia in 2018 when they were working royals. It took place just months after their wedding day in May of that year.
Shortly before their tour began, Kensington Palace announced that Meghan was pregnant with her and Harry’s first child. Their son, Prince Archie, was born in May 2019.
A lot has changed since then, with Harry and Meghan stepping back from their working royal roles in early 2020.
They moved to the United States and have been living in Montecito, California, since. They have become financially independent after bagging deals with the likes of Netflix and Spotify.
The couple also welcomed their daughter, Princess Lilibet, in June 2021.
Meghan also launched her flourishing lifestyle brand, As Ever, last year.
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