Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, received a heartbreaking update from Australia ahead of their visit.
The Montecito couple have faced fresh allegations that Australian taxpayers will fund part of their upcoming tour, despite their team insisting otherwise.
Representatives for the Sussexes previously dismissed the claims after thousands of Australians signed a petition last month demanding no public money be spent on the upcoming tour.
Harry and Meghan’s spokesperson said: “The trip is being privately funded so I’m not sure what this petition hopes to achieve.”
However, Victoria and New South Wales (NSW) Police have confirmed that they will provide security operations in the region for the private tour, according to the Sunday Morning Herald.
“NSW Police will be carrying out an operation to ensure public safety is maintained during the visit of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex,” a spokesperson for the NSW force said.
“The operation will require some additional security measures during its stay in New South Wales, whilst minimizing any disruption to the community.”
A Victoria Police spokesperson said: “Police regularly assess events and visits and will deploy the necessary resources to ensure the safety of the community.”
The “No taxpayer funding or official support for Harry and Meghan’s private visit to Australia” campaign was launched by advocacy group Beyond Australia via the Change.org website. More than 43,000 people have already signed the petition.
Upon learning of the increased police presence at taxpayer expense, they wrote on their petition page: “This directly contradicts those assurances and raises serious concerns about transparency and the use of public resources.
“Australians have a right to question this. How does taking photographs at a publicly advertised, ticketed event constitute a security threat?”
“This appears to be a narrative fed to the media to raise perceived risk, which is now used to justify taxpayer-funded police and security.”
Harry and Meghan previously traveled to Australia in 2018 as working members of the royal family, just months after their wedding at Windsor Castle. At that time, they received 24-hour police protection from the United Kingdom, with assistance from the Australian Federal Police.
