Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are slated for a busy royal tour of Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, and Fiji next month.
Kensington Palace has announced the couple’s agenda for the couple’s visit, which lasts from October 16 to October 31, 76 engagements and activities focusing on “youth leadership, environmental and conservation efforts – including the dedication of several new Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy projects.”
A highlight of their trip will also be the Invictus Games, which runs from October 20-27 in Sydney. Prince Harry is a patron of the competition, which features wounded and injured servicemen and servicewomen from across the globe. He and Meghan actually made their public debut as a couple during last year’s installment of the games in Toronto, Markle’s residence at the time.
Here’s what you need to know about the upcoming trip:
They’re flying commercial.
Harry and Meghan will use a commercial plane into Sydney for the start of their tour, and back to London at the end of the 16-day trip. Royals usually use charter planes for official obligations abroad, but people like Kate Middleton has previously used a budget jet while flying home from engagements in The Netherlands.
Meghan will have some solo engagements that highlight women.
The Duchess will attend two engagements linked with the UN Women’s Market for Change project, which promotes women’s empowerment in marketplaces throughout the Pacific. Although she’s a UN Women ambassador, Fiji requested the engagements.
“There is a movement in Fiji to encourage women away from the stereotypical roles [in the household] and [UN Women are] looking to strengthen women’s opportunities in Fiji,” a Palace aide said. She’ll also give a speech at the University of the South Pacific in Suva, Fiji.
The tour is designed for a married couple.
Harry’s previous previous visit to these countries included engagements like rugby games, but the couple won’t be doing such events on their trip. “The tour has been designed for the Duke and Duchess as a young married couple,” a palace aide said. “It’s a different type of visit to a single man’s tour.”
They’ll travel with an entourage of at least 10.
In Australia and New Zealand, the couple will be accompanied by their private secretary Samantha Cohen, deputy private secretary Amy Pickerel, an orderly, a Kensington Palace assistant, a hairdresser (reportedly George Northwood, who’ll be paid for privately), a personal photographer, three communications officers, and a program coordinator. In Fiji and Tonga, they’ll have to additional staff.