Duchess ‘feeling pretty well’ in Australia

The Duchess of Sussex is “running on adrenaline” during her first royal tour while pregnant but is “feeling pretty well so far”.

Meghan’s pregnancy was announced by Kensington Palace on the eve of her and the Duke of Sussex’s 16-day tour which will take in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga.

During a visit to the drought-afflicted city of Dubbo, the duchess spoke to farmer Emily Carroll about motherhood and made a fuss of her baby Ruby.

The 33-year-old said: “They both had a little tickle with her.

“Meghan told me that she’s feeling pretty good so far, which is great, and that she’s running on adrenaline.”

The couple swapped the koalas and crowds of Sydney for the rural city in New South Wales, with the palace saying the duke was keen to visit regional Australia.

Dubbo, some 190 miles outside of Sydney, has been stricken by drought but the skies looked ominous during their Wednesday visit.

Much-needed rain – which the duke called a “gift” – did eventually fall as hundreds of people came to catch a look at the couple at Victoria Park.

Harry praised the resilience of the city and its people following the barren period during a speech to the assembled crowd.

“You people are the salt of the earth, hard working and as tough as they come.

“I know that life has not been easy. You have just lived through two years of drought.

“You are all the toughest people out there, the most persistent, the ones who can weather the storm or the drought.”