How Harry And Meghan Will Follow In Charles And Diana’s Footsteps On First Royal Tour
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will travel to Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand this autumn
Kensington Palace has announced that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will travel to Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand in October for their first official overseas trip since their wedding in May.
The tour will mark a big milestone for Meghan, who fulfilled another royal rite of passage with her first appearance at Trooping the Colour on Saturday. But the trip will also see the couple follow in the footsteps of Prince Harry’s parents, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, whose first royal tour was to Australia and New Zealand in 1983.
Charles and Diana at Ayres Rock, March 1983
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During Charles and Diana’s visit, the royal couple travelled 23,601 miles and spent 41 days overseas, the Press Association reports. Their trip to Australia included stops at the Sydney Opera House, Ayers Rock and Alice Springs, along with visits to Wellington and Auckland in New Zealand.
A visit to the Sydney Opera House
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Harry and Markle aren’t the only royal couple to travel down under in recent years. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge spent just over a fortnight in the two countries in April 2014. Following the tour, which included Prince George’s first royal engagements, Kensington Palace said the couple had been “bowled over by the extraordinarily warm welcome shown to them”. They also posed for pictures in front of Ayers rock in a similar spot to where Charles and Diana had stood in 30 years previously.
The Cambridge family in Australia, April 2014
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Details of Harry and Markle’s trip are yet to be announced, but their visit will coincide with the fourth Invictus Games which will be held in Sydney from 20 – 28 October.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the couple should expect to be welcomed with open arms when the sporting event begins.
“As the founder of the Invictus Games, the Duke of Sussex has become a champion for war veterans around the world, including in Australia,” he said in a statement.
“His attendance, alongside the Duchess of Sussex, will be a wonderful highlight for the more than 500 competitors and thousands of spectators.”