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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have touched down at Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital, marking the commencement of their tour in Australia.
Anticipation filled the air as numerous young patients and their families gathered in the hospital foyers, eager for a glimpse of the couple.
At noon, Harry and Meghan arrived in a sleek black Range Rover with tinted windows. As they stepped through the revolving doors, they were met with enthusiasm from waiting fans.
In a heartfelt gesture, the couple took time to embrace young oncology patients and engage in conversations with their families in the foyer, spending approximately ten minutes with them. Following this, they proceeded to a more private section of the hospital to visit additional patients.
Meghan was elegantly dressed in a navy buttoned maxi dress paired with sophisticated black stiletto heels.
Prince Harry was dressed in a crisp white shirt with an unbuttoned navy blazer and suit pants.
The pair took selfies with patients and collected flowers as they made their way across the hospital floor.
The Royal Children’s Hospital has a storied royal history.
The hospital was opened by Harry’s late grandmother Queen Elizabeth II in 1963, and she returned in 2011 after it underwent major renovations.
Harry’s parents, now-King Charles III and the late Princess Diana, also visited the hospital during their royal tour of Australia in 1985.
Meghan is scheduled to make a solo visit to a women’s homeless shelter later today, where she is expected to meet with women who have experienced family violence.
She and Harry are focusing on events that champion community resilience, support for the armed forces and mental health during their whirlwind visit.
They flew to Australia in business class on a commercial Qantas flight and touched down in Melbourne early this morning.
The couple will be in Australia for four days.
It’s their first visit since their 2018 royal tour, and the first since they quit the monarchy in 2020.
They’re scheduled to make appearances in Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney to take part in “private, business, and philanthropic engagements”, the couple’s spokesperson previously told nine.com.au.
Notable events include the InterEdge Psychosocial Safety Summit in Melbourne, where Harry will be a keynote speaker on Thursday.
On Friday, Meghan will make a brief appearance at a women’s-only retreat hosted by the Her Best Life podcast in Sydney.
The couple are no longer working members of the royal family and will not carry out any royal duties while in Australia.
There will also be no public walkabouts or meet and greet moments, which have become a staple of official royal tours.
Harry and Meghan had reportedly planned to meet the public in Melbourne and Sydney but those plans were supposedly cancelled when details were leaked to the press.
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