TLDR
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are planning a return to Australia for work and philanthropy as Meghan reshapes her media strategy, leans into her As Ever lifestyle brand, and steps out from her recently ended Netflix partnership.
Australia Return With New Baggage
More than seven years after their blockbuster royal tour, Harry and Meghan are preparing to step back into Australia’s spotlight. According to Daily Mail reporting, the couple is expected in Sydney and Melbourne in mid-April for a schedule built around business and philanthropic commitments.
The visit is being framed less as a royal encore and more as a power-couple roadshow. The Duke of Sussex is likely to reconnect with Australia’s armed forces and veterans community, a constituency that has long anchored his Invictus and military advocacy work.
Whether Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet will make the trip remains unconfirmed. Their presence would shift the optics toward family nostalgia. Their absence would underline this as a tightly focused working tour at a pivotal moment for the Sussex brand.
Meghan’s Media and Brand Play
The Australian trip is also expected to serve Meghan’s evolving media ambitions. Daily Mail reports that she is in line to guest on Jackie O Henderson’s podcast “Her Best Life”, produced under Henderson’s “Besties” company, as the embattled radio star navigates turmoil around the Kyle and Jackie O Show.
There is also chatter that Meghan could appear at a live Besties event, echoing Gwyneth Paltrow’s Q&A with Henderson at Sydney’s Darling Harbour. A glossy stage conversation would offer Meghan a curated space to sell her story, her values, and her products directly to an audience that once embraced her as a newlywed duchess.
That matters because Meghan is in the middle of a reset. Daily Mail reports that she has parted ways with Netflix on her lifestyle series “With Love, Meghan” and taken back full control of her As Ever brand, which spans jam, rose wine, and floral sprinkles. Critics were harsh on her holiday special “With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration”, branding it “out of touch” and “tectonically tacky”.
Despite the reviews, As Ever’s team is projecting confidence. A spokesperson told the Daily Mail, “As Ever is grateful for Netflix’s partnership through launch and our first year. We have experienced meaningful and rapid growth, and As Ever is now ready to stand on its own. We have an exciting year ahead and can’t wait to share more.”
The Ghost of 2018
The last time Harry and Meghan toured Australia together, in 2018, they were still working royals and expecting their first child. Crowds were ecstatic, the images were golden, and the trip was widely hailed as a triumph for the monarchy and for Meghan personally.
Yet royal commentators now point to that sunlit tour as a turning point. Royal historian Tim Ewart told Sky News that “Australia broke Harry and Meghan and was one of the catalysts for them leaving the royal family,” arguing that the couple believed they deserved more recognition for their impact.
Harry himself later suggested the dynamic shifted after that moment. In their television sit-down with Oprah Winfrey, he recalled that “it really changed after the Australia tour” and that it was the first time the wider family saw how “effortless” Meghan was at royal duties across Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, and Tonga.
This new visit will unfold without palace backing, royal staff, or balcony appearances. Instead, it will test whether the affection Australians once showed the couple can translate into support for Meghan’s standalone ventures and Harry’s post-royal advocacy. If the crowds return and the brand deals land, Australia could help write their next act instead of haunting the last one.
Join the Discussion
Do you think Harry and Meghan’s Australia return will help strengthen their post-royal image, or has the moment passed for them to reconnect with that audience?
