From Hollywood to Home: Black Voices in Entertainment
- Skipping public walkabouts: Harry and Meghan avoid slow paced meet and greets to minimize public disruption.
- Privately funded focus: The trip emphasizes personal charitable work, framed as privately funded rather than an official diplomatic royal tour.
- Limited public contact: They may chat at the InterEdge Summit and Her Best Life weekend, where Meghan headlines; tickets 2,699 to 3,199 AUD.
- Personal connections: Meghan was introduced to Gemma O’Neill by friend Markus Anderson, a Soho House consultant who connected her to her future husband.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have kicked off the public portion of their trip to Australia Tuesday. Now, they’re embarking on a series of events and engagements that look fairly similar to what they did during their last visit to the continent back in October 2018. Their itinerary will take them to an array of sites connected to their charitable interests, including a children’s hospital in Melbourne, the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, and an Invictus Games–related sailing event around Sydney Harbour.
But there is one aspect of their trip that shows exactly how much has changed for Harry and Meghan since the couple left their royal roles in March 2020. A source tells Vanity Fair that this time around, the couple’s Down Under itinerary does not include any public walkabouts. Instead, their goal is to minimize any disruption to the public as they travel to their engagements.
The walkabout, a slow-paced meet and greet with the public, was a favorite of the late Queen Elizabeth’s, and these appointments are a typical feature of any official royal tour program. By eschewing the walkabout on this trip, Harry and Meghan are subtly emphasizing that this program is a privately funded journey on behalf of their personal charitable endeavors, rather than a diplomatic undertaking like the ones taken by active royals.
There will still be a few moments when Harry and Meghan might be able to chat with members of the general Australian public. On Thursday, the couple are set to attend the InterEdge Summit, a professional development conference for mental health practitioners and activists. Then, over the weekend, Meghan is set to be the keynote speaker at a “Girls’ Weekend” retreat hosted by Her Best Life, an Australian woman’s podcast. Tickets for the weekend, which included hotel rooms, yoga, and a disco celebration, were priced from 2,699 to 3,199 Australian dollars.
According to People, Meghan was introduced to Her Best Life cohost Gemma O’Neill by their mutual friend Markus Anderson. Anderson, whose friendship with Meghan dates back to before her days as an actor in Suits, is a Soho House consultant who is said to have introduced the lifestyle guru to her future husband.
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