Harry & Meghan test their “half-in, half-out” royal strategy
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne in April 2026 (Photo: Handout from Sussex.com)Note: I’ll be publishing more frequently this spring, with content from my recent 10-day trip in London. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are back in Montecito, evaluating their four-day visit to Australia. It’s the first time they used their titles and royal connections during a “half-in, half-out” visit to Melbourne and Sydney. That mixing of for-profit commercial ventures with royal duty and charitable causes was soundly rejected by Harry’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, during the Sandringham Summit of 2020. They followed the royal strategy of always starting a visit with a photogenic visit. In their case, it was a stop at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, where lots of excited kids waited for a chance to meet a real prince and duchess. In addition, Meghan taped an appearance as a guest on MasterChef Australia, which is a huge reality show Down Under and a smart move for the duchess as it emphasizes her kitchen bona fides after two seasons of With Love, Meghan.Though they spoke a lot during their four days in Australia, they really didn’t say anything we haven’t heard before. Harry talked about how lost and powerless he felt, and said he didn’t want to be a working royal because “it killed my mum.” Meghan talked about herself, saying she was the most trolled woman in the world for the last decade and then, at the wellness talk, said, “I’ve spent all my life investing in women. Can I finally invest in me?”While the Duchess of Sussex told someone to call her “Meg,” their titles and royal status were on full display, even though they aren’t working members of the royal family (so technically they weren’t carrying out royal duties on behalf of the Crown). Publicly, they certainly weren’t refuting the media label of their four-day visit as a “royal tour.” At the same time, they were pushing their own brands and commercial ventures.Meghan with the hosts of ‘Masterchef Australia’ (Photo: Handout image) That introduction on Masterchef shows the blending of royal status and profit. In the promo videos quickly posted by the Ten network, judge Poh Ling Yeow emphasized Meghan’s royal status: “We’ve had MasterChef royalty in the kitchen before but no one like this …All the way from sunny California, please welcome to MasterChef Australia … The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle!”
