Prince Harry said he and Meghan Markle “could not think of a better place to announce the upcoming baby” than Australia, as they embarked on their first royal tour together.
Kensington Palace revealed on Monday that Harry and Meghan’s first child is due next spring. In remarks which went from sincere to humorous, Harry spoke of his happiness at being able to show off Australia to his wife.
“This is my wife’s first visit here so I’m very excited to show her this wonderful country of yours,” he said. “And we also genuinely couldn’t think of a better place to announce the upcoming baby, whether it’s a boy or a girl, so thank you very, very much.”
After the speech, Meghan spoke to guests including Australian TV personality Eddie Woo, who said his own children – aged five, seven and 10 – require “a lot of energy”, to which she replied: “We’re ready! We’re excited to join the club.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were also given the first toys for their unborn baby during the opening day of their tour in Australia. They received a soft kangaroo and joey from Sir Peter Cosgrove and his wife, Lady Cosgrove.
“Our first baby gift!” Meghan said, while Harry was handed a pair of Ugg boots, which he described as “awesome”.
Also during the day, the couple were greeted at Admiralty House by flag-bearing representatives from the 18 countries who will be competing at the Invictus Games in Sydney. Several of them congratulated the couple on their baby news, with Meghan replying: “Thank you so much. We are very excited.”
Harry and Meghan spent their first day in Sydney getting close to wildlife, including meeting two namesake joeys, and were greeted by hundreds of well-wishers outside the famous Opera House.
The Duke also opened the Taronga Institute of Science and Learning before the couple took a boat ride across the harbour to the Opera House. There Harry spotted a familiar face in the crowd – 98-year-old Daphne Dunne who he met during his 2015 and 2017 visits to the country.
“I was looking for you earlier and hoped you’d be here, it’s so good to see you again,” Harry said to her, while Meghan added that next time the couple were in Australia they “might have our little one with us”.
Kensington Palace announced that the couple were expecting their first child together on Monday October 15, although the Duke and Duchess of Sussex reportedly shared their happy news with the rest of the royal family at Princess Eugenie’s wedding on Friday.
It was also announced that the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were “delighted” with the news.