When Meghan Markle and Prince Harry arrive in Australia on Tuesday for a privately funded visit, they will be armed with tightly scripted PR guidance that leaked over the weekend, laying bare how carefully the couple are managing their image as a sort of US-based 'royal offshoot' while touring a Commonwealth realm where King Charles remains head of state.
This is the couple's first trip to Australia since their blockbuster 2018 tour as newlyweds, when Meghan's pregnancy announcement turned a 16-day schedule into a global media event. That earlier visit was framed as a classic royal duty. This time, after Megxit and years of public wrangling over their status, the pair are returning as private citizens who still trade on the cachet of the monarchy and now expect to be paid for some of their appearances.
