Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have officially departed for the Queensland leg of their Australian tour, boarding their RAAF jet at Sydney airport.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are travelling to Queensland’s Fraser Island and will begin by taking part in traditional smoking ceremony as part of the official welcome.
It’s been confirmed by Kensington Palace that Meghan will not participate in all the forthcoming engagements.
“After a busy programme, The Duke and Duchess have decided to cut back The Duchess’s schedule slightly for the next couple of days, ahead of the final week-and-a-half of the tour,” an official statement read.
Yesterday, royal reporter Rebecca English also noted, “One source tells me it isn’t that the duchess is feeling poorly, but they’re trying to ‘pace’ her given how many engagements are coming up. The couple are due to undertake 76 on the 16-day tour. It is unlikely Meghan will do many engagements on Fraser Island due to the terrain.”
New Idea previously reported that the pregnant duchess had built “secret rest breaks” into the royal couple’s hectic tour schedule.
On October 23, the couple will depart Australia to travel to Suva, Fiji, where they will be greeted by a guard of honour before meeting His Excellency The President of Fiji at Borron House.
They will then attend an official welcome ceremony in the city centre’s Albert Park where the couple will witness what is known as Veirqaraqaravi Vakavanu and will conclude the day with a Reception and a State Dinner hosted by The President of Fiji at the Grand Pacific Hotel.
