Harry, Meghan to visit Australia in October for Invictus Games

Kensington Palace confirms Harry and Meghan’s trip to Australia for the Invictus Games as part of their first official overseas tour.

Harry and Meghan with the Duchess of Cambridge at the Trooping the Colour. Picture: MEGA.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will visit Australia in October as part of their first official overseas tour since their wedding three weeks ago.

Kensington Palace confirmed the anticipated tour of the Pacific region today, with the newlyweds expected also to visit Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand.

Exact dates were not confirmed, with the announcement saying the trip would take place in autumn (spring in Australia).

Sydney is sure to be on the list as the city hosts the Invictus Games between October 20 and 27.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will undertake an official visit to Australia, Fiji, the Kingdom of Tonga, and New Zealand in the Autumn 🇦🇺🇫🇯🇹🇴🇳🇿

The tour will fall on the occasion of @InvictusSydney 2018. pic.twitter.com/BWlU14WM66

— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) June 10, 2018

Prince Harry created and is the patron of the Invictus Games Foundation, which runs the tournament, and has previously attended the games in other host cities.

“Their Royal Highnesses have been invited to visit the Realms of Australia and New Zealand by the countries’ respective governments,” Kensington Palace said in a statement.

“The Duke and Duchess will visit the Commonwealth countries of Fiji and Tonga at the request of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

“The tour will fall on the occasion of the Invictus Games Sydney 2018.”

Malcolm Turnbull this morning welcomed the announcement.

“As the founder of the Invictus Games, The Duke of Sussex has become a champion for war veterans around the world, including in Australia,” the Prime Minister said in a statement. “His attendance, alongside The Duchess of Sussex, will be a wonderful highlight for the more than 500 competitors and thousands of spectators.

I know the Australian people will greet Their Royal Highnesses with great warmth and excitement wherever they go during their time here.

Lucy and I look forward to hosting their visit and watching the remarkable feats of Invictus athletes from around the world.”

Last year, Prince Harry, 33, and now-wife Meghan Markle, 36, attended the games in Toronto, where she was filming her final scenes for TV show Suits at the time.

More than 500 competitors from 18 nations will compete in the Paralympic-style event, which gives sick and injured military veterans a chance to compete against one another in a variety of sports.

Meghan and Harry attend the UK Team Trials for this year’s Invictus Games at the University of Bath Sports Training Village. Picture: Getty Images.

The first Invictus Games were held in London in 2014, followed by Orlando in 2016.

Rotterdam and The Hague in the Netherlands will host the 2020 event.

In April, the couple visited Australia House in London where they met with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and his wife Lucy, as well as servicemen and women from Australia and the UK and discussed preparations for the games.

Prince Harry’s last official visit to Australia was in 2015 when he trained with the Australian Army during a month-long secondment.

He has spent a considerable amount of time in the country, including during his gap year in 2003 when he worked on a remote cattle station.

The couple, who were married at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on May 19, made a public appearance on Saturday at the annual Trooping the Colour parade in London.

They shared a carriage from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards Parade where they witnessed nearly 1500 troops perform a military display as part of the official Queen’s birthday celebrations.

Later they joined the Queen, the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and other family members on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to watch a fly-past of Royal Air Force Red Arrows.

Earlier this year the Queen appointed Harry as Commonwealth Youth Ambassador and it is expected he will use the tour as an opportunity to hear the views of young people within the Commonwealth and build support for the monarchy among younger Australians.

When he was given the title, he said his wife-to-be would help him to fulfil the role.

“Both here in the UK and as I travel, my job will be to listen to you,” he said.

“My duty will be to ensure your ideas concerns, thoughts, and hopes are heard and my commitment will be to work with you to build a better platform for your leadership and help you collaborate and form partnerships with your peers across nations.

“In my new role, I will work to support the Queen, my father, the Prince of Wales, and my brother, William, all of whom know that young people are the answer to the challenges today.”