Why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Australia Trip Should Have King Charles Very 'Worried'
Harry and Meghan’s Australia trip is already getting messy, and it could drag King Charles into fresh royal drama.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will be continuing their ‘quasi royal tour,’ and their next stop is Australia. However, there are major concerns surrounding the upcoming visit, which could also put King Charles in a tough spot. As they are set to head Down Under for a series of appearances and events this April, there has been some pushback. A petition questioning how the overseas trip is being funded was launched late last year, and it has picked up serious traction, with over 39,000 signatures so far.
Former royal butler Grant Harrold told Royal Insider that Charles may be worried about the Sussexes’ visit. He said, “Monarchy in Australia is a big debate at the moment. If anything, that will worry the King, because they’re trying to keep relations good with Australia. They won’t want Harry and Meghan going there and causing any more upset or spurring on more protests or discussions about the monarchy off the back of it.”
He added that this is exactly the kind of situation the King and Queen would want to avoid while they are there. According to him, if anything during the visit causes even a bit of backlash, it could reopen the whole debate around the monarchy all over again. As for the petition, Grant pointed out that it is not really aimed at the King and Queen, but specifically at Harry and Meghan. “I don’t think the royal family will be upset,” the former royal butler revealed.
The last time the Duke and Duchess were in Australia was back in 2018, when Markle announced she was pregnant with Prince Archie. The reception was massive, with crowds pouring in and all the usual royal buzz. But now, more people in Australia are questioning the monarchy. They should not count on a grand welcome this time around.
The petition was set up by the advocacy group Beyond Australia in November with the description, “Prince Harry and Meghan are visiting Australia in April 2026. As this is a private visit, Australian taxpayers must not fund security, logistics, or government coordination. At a time when Australians are facing significant cost-of-living pressures… public resources must be used responsibly and applied fairly, without special treatment for high-profile individuals.” However, in response to the concerns about who is paying for the trip, a rep of Harry and Markle said, “The trip is being funded privately, so I’m not sure what this petition hopes to achieve.”
In February 2026, the couple visited the Za’atari refugee camp to meet with the burn victims of Gaza and Syria in Jordan. They were invited by Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), to attend a United Nations discussion in Amman. As for their upcoming trip, it has been announced that Prince Harry will serve as a keynote speaker at the InterEdge Psychosocial Safety Summit, where he is set to speak on workplace mental health. It will be taking place at CENTREPIECE at Melbourne Park in Melbourne. Markle, on the other hand, will be front and center for an exclusive women's-only retreat, organized by Her Best Life podcast co-hosts Gemma O'Neill and Jackie 'O' Henderson.
