During their time as working royals, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle embarked on a huge tour of Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand in 2018, but a book claims the Duchess of Sussex ‘failed to understand’ one part of the trip

Australia is gearing up for a major royal tour with King Charles and Queen Camilla set to arrive Down Under later this week.

The couple will visit the likes of Sydney and Canberra on their first visit to the country since 2018. And it came in the same year that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle embarked on a huge high-profile trip to Australia just months after they wed in the same year. The Sussexes spent 16 days travelling around Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand on what was their first joint royal tour – and on the eve of it starting, it was revealed that Meghan was pregnant with their son, Prince Archie.

Naturally, the couple proved a huge draw during the tour, with massive crowds turning out to see them as they visited the countries and attended an impressive 76 engagements. But a book written by former The Times’ royal correspondent, Valentine Low, claims that Meghan ” enjoyed the attention” she received but did not understand the point of royal walkabouts.

In his book, Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown, he explains: “On the South Pacific tour, Harry and Meghan were going down a storm. Massive crowds were turning out to see them, and Meghan’s refreshingly informal approach to royal visits was proving a hit with the Australian public.

“Behind the scenes, however, it was a different story. Although she enjoyed the attention, Meghan failed to understand the point of all those walkabouts, shaking hands with countless strangers. According to several members of staff, she was heard to say on at least one occasion: ‘I can’t believe I’m not getting paid for this’.”

The book also features an insider who claimed that upon seeing fans waiting outside the Sydney Opera House, Meghan said to the team: “What are they all doing here? It’s silly.” When Charles and Camilla later arrive in Australia this week, the Sydney Opera House will also be playing a big part in their tour. It has been revealed that it will be lit up to welcome the King and Queen to Australia.

The world-famous landmark will be illuminated on Friday night with a four-minute looping montage of pictures of previous royal visits to Sydney. Charles and Camilla will tour Sydney and the capital Canberra after landing Down Under on Friday evening.

The gesture, which comes at a cost of between £40-50,000 a night, comes after all six State Premiers controversially announced they would not join a reception in Canberra to welcome the King and Queen. New South Wales premier Chris Minns, who ditched the meeting and is a republican, said it wouldn’t stop the royals being welcomed to the city. Mr Minns said it was important the King was warmly welcomed during his visit to Sydney.

He said the “primary objective” in lighting up the Opera House would be to focus on events taking place in the state capital. Last year, the New South Wales state government decided not to turn the lights on to celebrate the King’s Coronation.

Many public buildings and landmarks were lit up in royal purple to mark the Coronation, including Parliament House in Canberra, but the Sydney Opera House, which was lit up to commemorate the late Queen Elizabeth II’s passing in September 2022, was not among them. The government at the time described the decision as a “cost-saving measure”. The King and Queen will leave the country on October 23 to visit Samoa.