Prince Harry Meghan engagement© Photo: Getty Images

Beach yoga, meeting koalas and 'welly-wanging' - what to expect from Harry and Meghan's royal tour

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will embark on their first long-haul royal tour on 16 October

Lifestyle Features Editor
October 4, 2018

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex look set to have an action-packed two weeks on their first long-haul overseas royal tour, trying activities such as beach yoga and "welly-wanging". The couple will spend 16 days travelling around Australia, Fiji, the Kingdom of Tonga, and New Zealand from 16 to 31 October.

Not only will the trip mark Prince Harry and Meghan's first major tour since the royal wedding in May, but it will also mark the first time the Duchess has visited many of the destinations. Details of the couple's busy itinerary - which includes 76 engagements - were released on Thursday, and they have a lot to look forward to.

© Photo: Getty Images

Prince Harry and Meghan will attend the Invictus Games in Sydney

A senior royal aide said the programme had been designed to reflect "the age of the Duke and Duchess and their interests," adding: "It's designed for the Duke and Duchess as a young married couple. It's a different type of visit from a single man's tour."

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The Duke and Duchess will spend their time in Australia visiting Sydney, where the Invictus Games are being held, as well as Melbourne, the holiday town of Dubbo in New South Wales and Fraser Island, a sand island that is a popular destination for eco-tourists. Prince Harry and Meghan will also visit Bondi Beach, where they will meet a local surfing community group.

Other highlights of the trip include visiting Taronga Zoo, where they will open the new Taronga Institute of Science and Learning, and meet two koalas and their joeys that are part of the zoo's breeding programme. The zoo is the same one that Prince William and Kate visited with their son Prince George when he was just a baby. The Duke will also climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge with Prime Minister Scott Morrison to raise the Invictus flag.

© Photo: Getty Images

The Duke and Duchess embark on their tour on 16 October

Prince Harry and Meghan will also visit Fiji's capital, Suva, and the tourist hotspot of Nadi, along with Tonga's capital Nuko'alofa. Meghan will take on two engagements without the Duke in Fiji. The Duchess will champion women and female empowerment as she attends a morning tea at the British High Commissioner's Residence to showcase women's organisations in Fiji.

STORY: See where Prince Harry and Meghan will be visiting on their royal tour

Meghan will also reunite with one of the charities she used to work with as she hears more about a UN Women's project called "Markets for Change", and will visit Suva Market to meet women stallholders who are involved in the project. Additionally, Meghan will also speak when she and Harry visit the University of the South Pacific in Suva, and the Duke will also give a speech.

See Prince Harry on the couple's first visit to Sussex

Their trip to New Zealand, meanwhile, will see them explore Wellington, Auckland and then Rotorua, which is famed for its Maori culture, before visiting Abel Tasman National Park in the South Island. As part of their welcome ceremony in Wellington, the couple will see a haka performed by members of the New Zealand Defence Force. Meanwhile, in Auckland, Harry and Meghan will visit the North Shore to dedicate a 20-hectare area of native bush to the Queen's Commonwealth Canopy. The couple will unveil a plaque and then join children from the Trees in Survival group in a "welly-wanging" contest.

The Duke and Duchess will be accompanied by ten staff, including their assistant private secretary, three members of the communications team, a programme co-ordinator, an orderly, a digital officer, a personal assistant and a hairdresser.

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