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Duke and Duchess of Sussex Begin Four-Day Tour of Australia with Hospital Visit
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived in Melbourne on a commercial flight to start a four-day tour focused on charitable engagements. Their first stop was the Royal Children's Hospital, where they met patients and staff. The visit highlights changes since their last trip in 2018, now as private citizens without royal titles.
Apr 14, 5:41 AM·1m read2 sources
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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived in Melbourne on Tuesday morning for a four-day tour of Australia. The couple traveled on a commercial flight from Los Angeles in business class and used VIP arrivals without a police escort. This marks their first visit to the country since 2018, when they attended official events as working royals.
The tour includes visits to charitable causes such as a children's hospital, military veterans and their families, and survivors of family violence. The couple stepped down as working royals in January 2020 and relinquished their His and Her Royal Highness titles. They are visiting as private citizens, with the trip privately funded and including some money-making engagements.
The opening event took the couple to the Royal Children's Hospital, where several hundred patients and families gathered to welcome them.
The visit lasted 90 minutes, running over the scheduled time. The couple spent nearly 40 minutes greeting the crowd, posing for photographs, and speaking with young cancer patients. The Duchess of Sussex wore an ink navy Priscilla dress by Australian designer Karen Gee, priced at $1,250.
A press release confirmed she had "personally selected" pieces from the designer's collection for the week's engagements. During the visit, a four-year-old patient named Lily presented the Duchess with a pink knitted flower.
The Duchess asked Lily's age and noted that her own daughter is also four. Lily's mother shared that her daughter had been born just one day before Princess Lilibet in June 2021. An eight-year-old patient, seated in a wheelchair, also offered a plastic flower to the Duchess of Sussex. "Is that for me? Thank you, so sweet," she replied, embracing both girls.
The couple joined a garden therapy session with teenage patients, most of whom were receiving treatment for eating disorders. A therapist guided the group to pause and reflect.
