This is the most gruel l ing tour there is…

…says former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond Seventy-six engagements in four countries – and a duchess who’s just announced she’s pregnant. The Australia tour is almost always dramatic. When Princess Diana did it in 1983, she broke royal protocol by taking a one-year-old William. In her own words, it was ‘extraordinarily hard’ – she was ill with bulimia and the tour was when Charles’s famous jealousy of the attention his wife commanded began in earnest. By 1988, when the couple returned for their second visit, their marriage was as good as over.

There have also been some major security scares: a man was arrested with an eight-inch knife down his sock during the Queen’s 2000 solo trip, and Prince Charles was ambushed by a student in 1994. On the same tour, a man lunged at Charles with an aerosol while he visited Auckland.

But, at least, on previous royal tours there has been the occasional day off. For Harry and Meghan, though, there is no downtime. They are shuttled from place to place by boat and plane and meet hundreds of strangers every day. Everyone thinks the tour is a tremendous jolly, but you might take two flights a day, with about six engagements to attend and five changes of clothes.

All that aside, this tour has always been the most important undertaking for any young royal. During a recent referendum, the role of the monarchy in Australia was brought into question, and there is a vibrant republican movement. It is essential that the royal family visit Australia and New Zealand regularly so that the ties are maintained.

But what’s already evident is that Meghan Mania has erupted down under. She has been adored in a way that we haven’t seen since Diana. Safe to say, Meghan has a sprinkle of stardust.

MEGHAN MANIA HAS CLEARLY ERUPTED DOWN UNDER