Duke and Duchess of Sussex to tour Australia

Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, take part in the Trooping the Colour parade in central London. Picture: Reuters

Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, take part in the Trooping the Colour parade in central London. Picture: Reuters

Published Jun 11, 2018

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Duke and Duchess of Sussex have announced their first official tour as a married couple will be Australia and New Zealand in the autumn.

The royal couple - who got married on May 19 at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle - will take a trip Down Under later this year for Harry's Invictus Games, which are being held in Sydney this time, before heading off to Fiji and Tonga and finishing up New Zealand as part of their first official tour since becoming husband and wife. 

READ: Duchess of Sussex to make 3 appearances with Queen next week

Kensington Palace announced the news on Sunday (10.06.18) on Twitter, writing: "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will undertake an official visit to Australia, Fiji, the Kingdom of Tonga, and New Zealand in the Autumn 

"The tour will fall on the occasion of @InvictusSydney 2018. (sic)"

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will undertake an official visit to Australia, Fiji, the Kingdom of Tonga, and New Zealand in the Autumn 🇦🇺🇫🇯🇹🇴🇳🇿

The tour will fall on the occasion of @InvictusSydney2018. pic.twitter.com/BWlU14WM66

— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) June 10, 2018

The pair have been invited to Australia and New Zealand by the countries' governments and will travel to Fiji and Tonga at the request of the UK Foreign Office.

The prince and his wife - who was known as Meghan Markle before she joined the royal family - will follow in the footsteps of his father Prince Charles and late mother Princess Diana as their first royal tour was to Australia and New Zealand in 1983. 

The royal pair - who got married in 1981 - travelled 23,701 miles and spent 41 days abroad, but it's not yet known how long the duke and duchess will spend there. 

In 2014, Harry's brother and sister-in-law the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge travelled to Australia and New Zealand and spent 18 days in the two countries. 

Meanwhile, Harry, 33, and Meghan, 36, have just returned from honeymoon in Canada after they were forced to delay their marital trip in order to attend Charles' 70th birthday celebrations in London a few days after they'd tied the knot. 

It's believed the prince and his new wife had been staying in Alberta, Canada's Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, at a 6,000 sq. ft. Outlook Cabin, during their getaway. 

A source said: "The resort ordered some gear and goodies it doesn't normally keep on hand for Meghan and Harry. It's unclear exactly when they'll be arriving, but we're told both British and Canadian security will be involved when they do."

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