Here are photos of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in Melbourne earlier today (Tuesday, April 14), visiting the Australian National Veterans Arts Museum (ANVAM). I believe this was their second joint event of the day, following their visit to a Melbourne Children’s Hospital. You know what impresses me? They were able to do public appearances on the same day they arrived in Australia. They flew across the International Date Line, east to west! They’re probably jet-lagged to hell and back, but here they are, making the most of their time in Australia and making sure to do good work.
Meghan’s outfit here was another pointed look from an Australian designer – she wore an Aussie designer, Karen Gee, earlier in the day as well! The matching jacket and skirt are from St. Agni, an independent Australian brand founded in Byron Bay. Meghan’s s=sweater is from P. Johnson, another Australian label. Her shoes are Aquazzura. I love that she wore Aussie designers but I’m not crazy about the jacket! I know what she was going for, but overall, the look was too “mossy.” She removed the jacket inside the museum and her outfit works much better.
When I tell you that the British press has been in full convulsions over the Sussexes’ arrival in Australia, I’m not joking. The Brits are truly screaming, crying and throwing up. They’re also doing their best to dictate the conversation around Harry & Meghan and this trip, like the Brits believe they “own” the Sussexes and they “own” Australia. The Telegraph had a predictably shady and stupid story just a few hours before the Sussexes touched down in Melbourne.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will prioritise listening and learning “rather than promotion” on a four-day tour of Australia this week. The couple will visit Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney during the trip, which begins on Tuesday, and complete “private meetings and special projects” about their favourite charitable issues. However, they may struggle to win the support of the Australian media, which already described the tour as a “financial and reputational” exercise at the weekend.
Lucrative speaking engagements, including the Duchess’s appearance at a highly publicised £1,400 “girls-only” weekend event, will run back-to-back with engagements that focus on mental health, community resilience and military veterans. In response to criticism that the pseudo-royal tour was designed to promote their own brand, a source close to the Sussexes said: “The visit prioritises listening, learning and supporting communities rather than promotion.”
A source told The Telegraph that the Australian visit was well-timed. “It will be a welcome distraction from the nonsense going on in the UK,” they said.
“That [2018] tour was a significant moment for them in terms of working together as a couple, as a team,” the source said. “They both love Australia and are really excited to return. Harry has spent a lot of time here and is really looking forward to meeting up with old friends.”
The visit Down Under has been in the diary for around a year but was originally planned on a much smaller scale. It was expanded in recent weeks when the dates coincided with various charitable and business invitations and the couple “saw an opportunity” to visit grassroots organisations that shared their values. However, planned but unannounced walkabouts in Sydney and Melbourne had to be abandoned after an operational note was leaked, compromising security. The couple are travelling with a relatively small team of eight, including their security detail, chiefs of staff and communications director.
They will also be accompanied by their own photographer, a tactic also employed by the Prince and Princess of Wales on public engagements to control their image and ensure they own their archive.
They’re just FUMING. The Telegraph also tried to twist this quote: “It will be a welcome distraction from the nonsense going on in the UK,” as if the source was merely talking about Sophie Chandauka’s dumbass lawsuit. It’s pretty clear the source was referring to the utter meltdown from the British press though. It’s also clear that the British press is doing whatever they can to ruin this visit and put Harry & Meghan in as much danger as possible. Meanwhile, it appears as if the Aussies are super-happy to see them and H&M are still amazingly popular in Oz. Whoopsie.
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Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Backgrid.
