Petition Against Prince Harry and Meghan's Australia Visit Surpasses 38,000 Signatures
A petition opposing the upcoming visit of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to Australia has garnered more than 38,000 signatures, with signatories questioning whether taxpayers will be responsible for covering the costs of the tour. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are scheduled to arrive in Australia in three weeks, where Meghan will headline a women's retreat in Sydney with tickets priced at $3,000 each, while Harry will deliver a speech at a workplace mental health summit in Melbourne.
Petition Details and Public Response
The online petition, hosted on Change.org, features an image of the former working royals alongside the message: "We don't want you here." It explicitly calls for no taxpayer funding or official support to be provided for the visit. However, sources indicate that this is a private visit, and no government funding or support is being allocated. A spokesperson for the couple labeled the petition as "ridiculous", confirming that the trip will be privately funded.
Background and Historical Context
The petition was launched in November 2025 by a group called Beyond Australia, following initial rumors about the couple's planned trip. It states: "Prince Harry and Meghan are visiting Australia in April 2026. As this is a private visit, Australian taxpayers must not fund security, logistics or government coordination." The petition further argues that since stepping down from royal duties in 2020, the couple no longer represent the Crown and now operate private commercial ventures based in the United States.
In response, Harry and Meghan's spokesperson remarked that the petition is "a moot point", given the private funding of the trip. The spokesperson added, "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 per cent of the population) who haven't signed it, who must therefore agree with the taxpayer picking up the tab for their visit. Of course, that is another equally stupid assertion to make."
Previous Visit and Comparisons
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle last visited Australia in 2018 as part of an official royal tour when they were senior working members of the royal family. During that visit, they received police escorts and stayed at the Governor-General's residence, highlighting the contrast with their upcoming private trip. The current petition reflects ongoing public scrutiny and debate over the financial implications of such high-profile visits, even when privately funded.
