PRINCE Harry and his new bride Meghan have arrived in Sydney a day before kicking off their first overseas tour as a royal couple.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex touched down just after 7am (AEST) on a overcast Sydney morning after a long-haul flight from London.

Holding hands and casually dressed, the couple walked out a back entrance and got into a car. Meghan, wearing skinny black pants and black, burgundy trimmed coat, was smiling and clutching folders, while Harry gave a thumbs up to bystanders.

It had been thought they had arrived at 6am (AEST) on a British Airways flight, but it later emerged they were on the Qantas flight.

A police motorcade whisked them away just after 7.40am (AEST) to Admiralty House where dozens of locals were waiting to greet them.

The royal couple waved at them as they drove through the gates the governor-general’s Sydney residence just after 8am (AEST).

The couple will be accompanied by a staff of 10 and a substantially larger swarm of reporters from all the British papers and TV stations.

They will spend the day recovering from the flight and prepare for their first full day of engagements tomorrow.


Meghan’s best pal Jessica Mulroney is reportedly joining her on the tour, according toThe Sun.
The Canadian stylist and her husband Ben are “flying from Toronto to Sydney” to meet the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and will be there in an “unofficial” capacity.

This means that they will pay for their own expenses during the trip — unlike the 10 staff travelling with the royal couple.

Harry and Meghan are to undertake a 16-day tour of Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga, starting with an official welcome by Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove before visiting the Sydney Opera House tomorrow.

The Duchess, 37, will have to change her outfits up to three times a day during the royal tour, so could rely on her stylist best friend for help, according to theTimes.

Jessica, 38, and her TV presenter husband Ben, 42, who is the son of former Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney, currently reside in Toronto.

Meghan and Jessica are thought to have met when Meghan first moved from LA to Toronto, in 2011, to film Suits.

They’re said to have bonded over a shared love of yoga, and even holidayed together in Italy in 2016.

Jessica helped Meghan choose her TV wedding dress for Suits — and was reportedly flown over to Kensington Palace on January 10, to join the bride-to-be in fittings for a bespoke wedding gown.

Jessica was one of just three people, along with Meghan’s mum Doria and Harry’s mate/Soho House consultant Markus Anderson, to join the Suits actress and Harry in the royal box at the Invictus Games.

Jessica’s daughter Ivy, and twin sons Brian and John, starred in the May royal wedding as bridesmaid and page boys.

The 16-day royal trip will be packed with 76 engagements, with the Invictus Games Sydney 2018 taking centre stage.

Kensington Palace announced that the trip would coincide with the Invictus Games, which is being held in Sydney from October 20-28. The couple will mark the games’ launch and closing ceremony in Sydney.

The destination for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s first official trip as husband and wife mimics the prince’s parents first overseas tour, as they visited Australia in 1983, shortly after their own wedding.

Among other highlights will be a visit to the world-famous Taronga Zoo where the pair will be able to meet two koalas and their joeys.

Prince George delighted the world as he joyfully interacted with a bilby named after him during the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s 2014 tour.

George the Bilby, meets George the Prince.
George the Bilby, meets George the Prince.Picture: Supplied
Harry and Meghan’s tour of Australia is seen as a key one for the royal couple who, during a TV interview to mark their engagement last November, spoke of their desire to promote humanitarian causes close to their hearts across Commonwealth member countries including Australia.

The visit comes six months after Prince Charles made his 16th official visit to Australia, primarily to open the 21st Commonwealth Games on Queensland’s Gold Coast.