Some Australian citizens cheered for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle during their trip to Australia, while others questioned why they came at all and welcomed them with a petition. The debate grew louder before the couple even finished its first full day in Melbourne.
An online petition called on officials to ensure taxpayers did not cover security or transport costs during what critics described as a private visit. And now, the spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex has dismissed the petition as a “moot point” and said the trip does not rely on public funding.
Meghan Markle and husband’s spokesperson confirms Australian trip is ‘funded privately’
The Mirror reported that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s spokesperson claimed, “This visit has been shaped by a genuine desire to reconnect with the organization the Duke and Duchess have long supported.” At the same time, the person emphasized that the couple is “also meeting new groups whose work reflects the causes they care deeply about – particularly mental health, women’s support services, and the veteran community,” while rejecting the idea that they faced a negative welcome on the ground.
The spokesperson said, “The warmth, kindness, and positivity shown by everyone they have met so far has been truly humbling.”
Notably, the funding question has followed the Sussexes throughout the planning for the four-day trip — and a petition, which the report said had gathered 45,000 signatures, demanded that public money not support their visit. The spokesperson called that effort pointless because, as they put it, “the trip is being funded privately.”
They went further, saying, “I’m not sure what this petition hopes to achieve,” before adding, “Of course, if you wanted to dive into the ridiculousness of this petition as an agenda for spreading misinformation then one could equally hypothesise that there are approximately 26.5 million Australians (99.98% of the population) who haven’t signed it, who must therefore agree with the taxpayer picking up the tab for their visit.”
Furthermore, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will reportedly not do public walkabouts on this trip, as they plan to focus on “security and costs associated with keeping public order.”
