NEED TO KNOW
- Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, reportedly wanted to meet the Irwin family during her Australia visit to explore a potential collaboration.
- She is said to admire their conservation work and was interested in possibly involving her children in future wildlife initiatives.
- Scheduling conflicts for the Irwins apparently made a meeting impractical at this time.
- Robert Irwin is a very close friend of Meghan’s estranged brother-in-law, the Prince of Wales.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex packed a lot of action into their ‘quasi-royal’, four-day tour Down Under.
But New Idea has heard whispers that there was apparently one high-profile collaboration on Meghan’s Aussie wish list that, unfortunately, did not come to fruition.
Why did Meghan want to meet the Irwins?
According to one insider, Meghan would have loved to have met the Irwins during this trip.
Our source says Meghan “hugely admires” all that Terri, Bindi and Robert have achieved, and “wanted to sound them out about potentially working together – or even involving her kids in any upcoming Wildlife Warrior missions one day”.
Meghan, 44, has slowly been introducing Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, four, into her social media posts. Our source believes this might suggest Meghan is “open to easing them into the spotlight” at some stage.
“Aligning with the Irwins’ worthy causes is something that Meghan – and Harry – could be on board with,” our source continues.
While Meghan apparently sought a meeting purely as a chance to connect, our source thinks there’s no doubt that befriending the Irwins “or being rubber-stamped by their approval” would have been beneficial for the Sussexes’ standing in Australia.
New Idea hears that Robert apparently advised taking a polite pass on the potential powwow.
“They meant no ill will towards the Sussexes, but at the end of the day, they are all staunch monarchists and fiercely loyal to The Firm,” our source explains.
So, as flattering as it could have been if they were in fact sounded out by Meghan, it might be that Robert, 21, knew it could have been upsetting for the Prince of Wales in particular.
Robert is a global ambassadorship of Prince William’s Earthshot Prize, and the pair have become close friends.
Even if a meeting could’ve been arranged at short notice, Bindi was in the US at the time with her family, while Terri and Robert’s jam-packed schedules are planned months in advance.
“It just wasn’t possible,” our source says.
As usual, Meghan brushed it off and forged ahead with her other engagements, including filming a spot on MasterChef Australia. Harry, 41, was also busy with his various commitments.
But behind closed doors, our source adds, failing to tee up anything with the Irwins while here “is surely a disappointment for Meghan”, but she accepts that it didn’t go anywhere – this time.
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