Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s royal tour 2018 of Australia will kick off on October 16 and New Idea has got its mitts on the royal family member’s itinerary down to every last detail!
The 16-day royal tour is jam-packed with 76 engagements in over four countries with The Invictus Games in Sydney being the focus.
It will be The Duke and Duchess’ first trip and tour as husband and wife and the couple will fly out of London on October 15 before they arrive in Sydney with Prince Harry climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge to raise the Invictus Games flag.
Among the highlights of the trip, apart from the Invictus Games, will be a visit to Taronga Zoo in Sydney, where they will get up close to koalas before heading to visit farmers affected by the drought crisis, meet the King on Tonga, a traditional welcome in Fiji and a welly wangling display in Auckland.
Members of the public will also have the opportunity to meet Harry and Meghan during their tour.
Here’s the detailed rundown:
Tuesday 16
The royal tour will begin at Admiralty House, residence of General Governor of Australia Sir Peter Cosgrove, who will welcome the couple to his home.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will then head to Taronga Zoo, the same place Prince George met a bilby named after him.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will then get the chance to see` a few koalas and their joeys, before meeting with conservationists to discuss the working on reducing illegal trafficking.
Next up they will enjoy a performance at Sydney’s Opera House by Bangarra Dance Theatre, before taking a public walkabout along the Opera Forecourt.
Finally, the day will end with a reception held back at the Admiralty House.
Wednesday 17
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will head to Dubbo, 300km northwest of Sydney and will first meet with the Royal Flying Doctor Service to discover more about the live-saving aviation service provides.
Next, they will meet the farmers ravaged by the drought crisis and will learn about the hardships they have been suffering this year.
Meghan and Harry will then head to Victoria Park to enjoy a community picnic and celebrate the local spirit held within the region.
The tour will wrap with a visit to a local school working with young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
Thursday 18
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will then fly to Melbourne for an official reception at Government House attended by young leaders.
The couple will then visit the social enterprise which offers training programmes for young Aboriginal people.
In the afternoon they will visit a local primary school before traveling on an iconic Melbourne tram to South Melbourne beach to meet volunteers from a local beach program.
Friday 19
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will then head back Sydney where they will visit the city’s iconic Bondi Beach to meet One Wave a local surfing community raising awareness for mental health.
The couple will then take part in a youth advocate programme before heading to Sydney Harbour Bridge to officially raise the flag for the Invictus Games.
Prince Harry and Meghan will then end the day with meetings with the Leader of the Opposition at Admiralty House and the Prime Minister at Kirribilli House.
Saturday 20
The couple will start the day by travelling by boat to The Invictus Games on Cockatoo Island, followed by a reception held at the Opera House. There will then be the official opening ceremony of the games, with Prince Harry giving a speech.
Sunday 21
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will watch some of the games which will include sailing and cycling before attending a lunchtime reception hosted by the Prime Minister and Invictus Games competitors.
Monday 22
Megan and Harry will travel to Queensland’s Fraser Island and will begin by taking part in traditional smoking ceremony as part of welcome.
The couple will then enjoy the unveiling of plaque for the dedication of the Forests of K’gari to the QCC, before meeting with local elders and rangers of the national park.
They will then take a boat to Kingfisher Bay and enjoy the picturesque jetty.
Tuesday 23
The couple departs 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.
Wednesday 24
The couple will start the day by laying a wreath at the Fiji War Memorial and then will meet Fijian war veterans, some who have served with the British Armed Forces.
The couple will then visit University of the South Pacific campus in Suva and the Duchess will give a speech. The Duke will then travel to Colo-i-Suva Forest Park while The Duchess heads to the British High Commissioner’s Residence where she will later travel to Suva Market to meet female vendors.
Thursday 25
The couple depart for Nadi in Western Fiji where they will attend a special event at Nadi Airport
They will then witness the unveiling of new statue commemorating Sergeant Talaiasi Labalaba, a British-Fijian soldier killed in 1972 Battle of Mirbat before taking a chartered flight to Tonga where they will be greeted by Her Royal Highness The Princess Angelika Latufuipeka.
The Duke and Duchess will then visit Consular House for private audience with King Tupou VI and Queen Nanasipauʻu.
The day will conclude with an official reception and dinner, and traditional Tongan entertainment.
Friday 26
The next day, the couple will visit to St George Building to meet Prime Minister S Akilisi Pohiva and his cabinet, before attending an exhibition with Princess Angelika at the Faonelua Centre.
Next, they will visit Tupou College, the oldest secondary school in the Pacific before the couple return to the Royal Palace for an official farewell with the King before departing for Sydney.
In the evening Their Royal Highnesses will attend the Australian Geographic Society Awards in Sydney.
Saturday 27
The couple will enjoy the final day of Invictus Games and in the afternoon they will spend watching wheelchair basketball finals at the Quay Centre before attending the closing Ceremony at Qudos Bank Arena. The couple will speak at both events.
Sunday 28
The couple will depart on a Royal New Zealand Air Force flight for Wellington and will enjoy a traditional welcome ceremony on the lawns of Government House.
The Duke and Duchess, will then attend a traditional hongi with Maori elders, including haka performance and 21-gun salute.
They will then visit to Pukeahu National War Memorial Park to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior and visit the newly unveiled UK War Memorial.
Afterwards, there will be meetings with Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition at Government House before an evening reception celebrating the 125th anniversary of women’s suffrage in New Zealand.
Monday 29
The day will begin with a morning meeting with young people from mental health projects in New Zealand, before the couple travel to Abel Tasman National Park where they will enjoy a traditional welcome followed by trail walk through forest.
The couple will then visit Courtenay Creative for evening event celebrating the city’s thriving creative arts scene.
Tuesday 30
On the penultimate day of the tour, the couple will arrive in Auckland and visit North Shore to dedicate a 20-hectare area of native bush to The Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy.
After the unveiling of the plaque the Duke and Duchess will meet with children from the ‘Trees in Survival’ group before partaking in a “welly-wanging” contest.
The couple will then join PM to visit Pillars, a charity operating across New Zealand that supports children of inmates.
Duke and Duchess will later meet the people of Auckland on the Viaduct Harbour, before an evening reception hosted by the Prime Minister at the Auckland War Memorial Museum.
Wednesday 31
On the last day of the tour, the couple will visit to lakeside town of Rotorua before travelling to Rainbow Springs to learn more about the centre’s kiwi bird breeding programme.
They will then enjoy an afternoon walkabout meeting the public and travel to Redwoods Treewalk Rotorua, a 700m-long walkway of suspension bridges to learn about the forest’s history.
