Koalas, tram ride for royals
Itinerary released for Harry, Meghan
PRINCE Harry and wife Meghan will walk the Sydney Opera House forecourt, pat a koala and ride a Melbourne tram during their muchanticipated visit to Australia this month.
Kensington Palace has released details of the couple’s packed itinerary that will see them visit NSW, Queensland and Victoria, then head to Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand.
The newlyweds have scheduled several public walkabouts to allow them to greet the public, who are expected to turn out in their thousands.
While the trip has been built around the Invictus Games in Sydney, the royal couple will also visit community groups, see the impact of the drought, and take in sites such as Taronga Zoo in Sydney and Fraser Island in Queensland.
Kensington Palace said the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had asked that the tour allow them to meet as many Australians, Fijians, Tongans and New Zealanders as possible.
The trip — the couple’s first full-scale royal tour since their wedding in May — will run from October 16-31.
A retinue of 10 staff will accompany them, including a digital officer, three communications officers, a private secretary and a hairdresser for Meghan.
They will fly on commercial flights between Australia and the UK, with the airfares paid for by the Australian and New Zealand governments.
Prince Harry has visited Australia many times but Meghan has never been on Australian soil.
They will base themselves at Admiralty House on Sydney Harbour, the official Sydney residence of the GovernorGeneral.
They will undertake 36 official engagements in Australia and 74 during the entire tour.
On October 16, the couple will be formally welcomed to Admiralty House by the Governor-General, Sir Peter Cosgrove, and will also meet representatives from the 18 countries sending representatives to the Invictus Games, a sporting tournament created by Prince Harry for injured or sick servicemen and women.
The royal couple will visit Taronga Zoo to open a new science institute, then travel by boat from the zoo to the Sydney Opera House.
A number of other events in Australia have been scheduled but are not being publicised in advance.