Harry & Meghan: Tour of Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand - October 2018

[Tarlita]

They will get to pat/pet a koala in NSW. So when they arrive at Fraser Island in Queensland I bet the Qld government will try to out do NSW and they will give the couple a chance to Cuddle a koala. Only petting is allowed in New South Wales.
It makes for a great photo op. Nothing says Australia like a cuddly koala.

 

[Fros]

If I am not wrong it looks like there will be 2 community cookout sort engagements one in Dubbo and one in New Zealand. That's an amazing low key way to meet and connect with people in local communities. It was a great idea to incorporate such events into the itinerary.

 

[Madame Verseau]

This tour is jammed packed and fun to watch! A state dinner in Fiji and Harry and Meghan are to recreate the welcome the queen and the duke of Edinburgh had in Fiji in 1953

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...BMAN6BAgJEA4&usg=AOvVaw3wIA5k-au6PVruGSojXII9

 

[Curbside]

State dinner means Meghan needs to pack a tiara, right?

 

[Pranter]

I was hoping for a tiara event but most here don't think it will be formal enough for one.


LaRae

 

[HereditaryPrincess]

That's a shame as it would be lovely to see Meghan in a tiara, however she's still very early into her marriage so I'm sure there'll be another event where she can wear one soon.
I don't want to compare but just to get an idea, when did the Duchess of Cambridge attend her first tiara event? I seem to remember that it was quite recently but I'm probably wrong.

 

[Pranter]

First tiara event was her wedding when she wore the Cartier Halo Scroll Tiara ....I think there was quite a break before she wore one again since she and William weren't full time working royals. I think the Chinese state dinner was 2015 when she wore the Lotus tiara...not sure if she wore one prior to that.

LaRae

 

[muriel]

That's a shame as it would be lovely to see Meghan in a tiara, however she's still very early into her marriage so I'm sure there'll be another event where she can wear one soon.
I don't want to compare but just to get an idea, when did the Duchess of Cambridge attend her first tiara event? I seem to remember that it was quite recently but I'm probably wrong.

Diplomatic Reception 2013

 

[ACO]

I just finished listening to On Heir and they did a summary of the tour. They seemed to have a schedule breakdown with timings and locations as they revealed a few of them. They mentioned the tiara was not happening because it was a "casual tour" per the Sussexes request it seemed.

They also mentioned that Meghan will be speaking more then the press release revealed which is a nice surprise. At their briefing they were told that Meghan worked hard with the heads of the different countries to put together her itinerary. They wanted to use her skills in public speaking and passion of women & girls rights.

Harry will be doing a bit of military and sport stuff. They playing on both their passions. Of course they will be heavily involved in the Invictus Games. Very jam packed tour and I am sure everyone will be utterly exhausted when it is over.

 

[Pranter]

Well the state dinner is in Tonga and they don't have a tradition of wearing tiaras etc there so that's the main reason.


LaRae

 

[Dman]

State dinner means Meghan needs to pack a tiara, right?

The royal ladies no longer wear tiaras on official tours. Only The Queen. They stopped in the 90’s.

 

[Iluvbertie]

Not necessarily true. Camilla has worn a tiara at CHOGM overseas and again to the banquet before Queen Beatrix's abdication at least.

It would depend on the expectations of the locals and tiaras aren't something that is worn much outside of Europe so the royal ladies respect that and don't show their bling.

 

[Dman]

Not necessarily true. Camilla has worn a tiara at CHOGM overseas and again to the banquet before Queen Beatrix's abdication at least.

It would depend on the expectations of the locals and tiaras aren't something that is worn much outside of Europe so the royal ladies respect that and don't show their bling.

Right, that was for the CHOGM and Inauguration, but the British royal ladies really don’t wear tiaras on their official tours. We haven’t seen this from the Windsor wives since the 90’s, sadly. They should go back to doing it, IMO. Bring back some of that beauty and glamour we saw back in the day.

 

[Royal Suitor]

They also mentioned that Meghan will be speaking more then the press release revealed which is a nice surprise. At their briefing they were told that Meghan worked hard with the heads of the different countries to put together her itinerary. They wanted to use her skills in public speaking and passion of women & girls rights. Harry will be doing a bit of military and sport stuff. They playing on both their passions.

I was excited to see Meghan's activities with the UN Women project in Fiji. KP has gone out of their way to stress that the local countries provided the list of suggested engagements so OK... But hopefully this opens the door to Meghan re-establishing a relationship with UN Women in some capacity. Have any of the RRs discussed how the split schedule will be handled? Do they get to decide which event they attend or is the rota system employed? I like the divide and conquer approach so H&M can fit in more events. Just not sure how it'll impact coverage. I think Harry's schedule may get the short end of the stick if RRs get to choose.

Glad to see the engagements and how H&M are being deployed play to their strengths. Lots of community events and interacting with the public where H&M shine. The Bondi Beach surfing and yoga engagement with the youth group also caught my eye. If Meghan can play netball (also on the schedule) then we can all enjoy Harry doing yoga. ?

It'll be interesting to see how Meghan speaking at more events changes the dynamic. She's a great speaker so I'm thrilled. I still hold that her speech at the cookbook launch was well thought out and practiced in advance. It wasn't completely off the cuff. For a speech that length, she just doesn't need to read a scripted speech the way Harry does. She knows what she wants to say but doesn't necessarily memorize it word for word so KP couldn't pass out a transcript to RRs beforehand. But that's also why her speeches seem so natural and authentic. I'd rather see one of the comm. aides be used as a transcriber than have Meghan start reading every time.

 

[Iluvbertie]

She does have to ensure that the content of every speech is approve in advance so she doesn't start becoming political. That is why the royals have notes with them - so they no what they can and can't say and don't upset the government of the day who do have the right to approve everything they say.

 

[Winnie]

She does have to ensure that the content of every speech is approve in advance so she doesn't start becoming political. That is why the royals have notes with them - so they no what they can and can't say and don't upset the government of the day who do have the right to approve everything they say.

Very interesting. I did not realize that BR speeches had to be approved by not only their own government but also the visiting government had the right to approve all speeches. So that means that everything that will be given formally by both Harry and Meghan in every country has already been either texted or faxed for approval by each one. Amazing. One MUST wonder what their speeches would be actually like if they were permitted to speak off-the-cuff and give their own 100% point of view.

 

[Royal Suitor]

I assumed when iluvbertie said gov't of the day she still meant the British gov't especially since the foreign office usually sends them on the trip in the 1st place. It's hard for me to believe that foreign gov'ts are approving royal speeches.

Does gov't approval also extend beyond foreign visits to speeches for their own patronages or foundation projects? For the cookbook launch, I imagine Samantha and/or Amy knew broadly what Meghan was going to say to ensure she stayed within the lines.

 

[ACO]

No one knew Meghan was going to speak at her launch and KP staff had to transcribe on the spot. This was also close to her heart and informal.

Her speeches on this tour will no doubt be pre-written and approved. They are there working on behalf of The Queen. It is a very different setting.

 

[Iluvbertie]

The British government has to approve ALL speeches - or at least the content of all speeches given by members of the BRF for any reason. Meghan's speech would have had pre-approval and if not she would have been told 'never again - you aren't allowed to do that'.

The only speech that is given without government approval is the Queen's Christmas message but if that ever became a political statement instead of the total bland nothingness it is now the government would either stop the message or insist on it being pre-approved.

The BRF do not have freedom of speech, unlike the rest of us. That is something Meghan will have to learn - she can no longer speak her mind on any issue.

 

[AdmirerUS]

I wish we could PIN to the top of a thread, because this would be pinned at the top of my page! It's post 130 if I can remember to remember...

There is no three day gap. The Express needs to do better research. They are visiting Tonga and Fiji those days.

Tuesday 16th October: Sydney, Australia
Wednesday 17th October: Dubbo, Australia
Thursday 18th October: Melbourne, Australia
Friday 19th October: Sydney, Australia
Saturday 20th October: Sydney, Australia
Sunday 21st October: Sydney, Australia
Monday 22nd October: Fraser Island, Australia
Tuesday 23rd October: Suva, Fiji
Wednesday 24th October: Suva, Fiji
Thursday 25th October: Nadi, Fiji and Nuku’alofa, Tonga
Friday 26th October: Nuku’alofa, Tonga and Sydney, Australia
Saturday 27th October: Sydney, Australia
Sunday 28th October: Wellington, New Zealand
Monday 29th October: Wellington and Abel Tasman, New Zealand
Tuesday 30th October: Auckland, New Zealand
Wednesday 31st October: Rotorua, New Zealand"

 

[Princess Larisa]

I wish we could PIN to the top of a thread, because this would be pinned at the top of my page!

You can ask the moderators if they can put it in the introductory post.

No one knew Meghan was going to speak at her launch and KP staff had to transcribe on the spot. This was also close to her heart and informal.

Of course Meghan’s secretary and other staff knew she was giving a speech. Royals don’t just go off script holding speeches out of the blue, especially a new royal with her first speech. She just didn’t have it pre-written and wasn’t reading it word for word, so they couldn’t give a copy to the reporters beforehand. Just because the royal reporters and the general public aren’t told something doesn’t mean no one knows about it. The cookbook being the perfect example.

I still hold that her speech at the cookbook launch was well thought out and practiced in advance. It wasn't completely off the cuff. For a speech that length, she just doesn't need to read a scripted speech the way Harry does. She knows what she wants to say but doesn't necessarily memorize it word for word so KP couldn't pass out a transcript to RRs beforehand. But that's also why her speeches seem so natural and authentic. I'd rather see one of the comm. aides be used as a transcriber than have Meghan start reading every time.

I agree. I hold similar introductory speeches on a weekly basis and while I never write it down I always know the main points I’m going to address and back when I started this job I practised at home to make sure I had it all down and to time myself. The speeches are never exactly the same, but I always mention all pertinent information.

Have any of the RRs discussed how the split schedule will be handled? Do they get to decide which event they attend or is the rota system employed? I like the divide and conquer approach so H&M can fit in more events. Just not sure how it'll impact coverage. I think Harry's schedule may get the short end of the stick if RRs get to choose.

I don’t know how they decide, but Charles and Camilla always have separate events and usually the Wessexes and some photographers go with one and some with the other. And yes, the male usually gets less coverage in the newspapers, etc. Especially if there is a good photo opportunity for Camilla or Sophie, with animals or little kids for example.
I would imagine with this being Meghan’s first tour that all coverage will be about her. Harry might get a line here or there if there’s an interesting photo opportunity, like a koala peeing on him or ?.

 

[jacqui24]

With that speech, I don’t think Emily or Omid was suggesting that Palace aides didn’t know she was saying something. Just that nothing was written. And by the sound of it, it was all Meghan. I do wonder, though, if the royals write their own speech or if aids do?

 

[Zaira]

With that speech, I don’t think Emily or Omid was suggesting that Palace aides didn’t know she was saying something. Just that nothing was written. And by the sound of it, it was all Meghan. I do wonder, though, if the royals write their own speech or if aids do?

It depends. For Heads Together, the charities involved actually wrote the speeches for the trio at times (with input from KP). Harry supposedly writes his IG speeches himself and some of his AIDs speeches. But most of the time, as with just about every public figure, its staff that writes and the royal/politician/etc will make edits or changes, if they have any. For foreign visits, sometimes the foreign office will do drafts of speeches (i.e. William's recent tour in the Middle East).

 

[ACO]

Of course Meghan’s secretary and other staff knew she was giving a speech. Royals don’t just go off script holding speeches out of the blue, especially a new royal with her first speech. She just didn’t have it pre-written and wasn’t reading it word for word, so they couldn’t give a copy to the reporters beforehand. Just because the royal reporters and the general public aren’t told something doesn’t mean no one knows about it. The cookbook being the perfect example.

I didn't mean know one of her team. It was clear the media were not informed nor were KP well aware of all she was saying though I am sure they had the overview. Emily said it was standard for them to have copies ahead of the speech so they all know exactly what is being said. That wasn't the cause during the launch reception. As said, they didn't know. But then again they also didn't know about Together either.

 

[Fros]

I believe the staff knew Meghan would say a few words of thanks to everyone involved in the project but did not expect she would give a 3 minute speech.

According to Chris Ship on Royal rota episode 3 who actually was present on that day and the recent episode of Onheir they describe KP staff themselves started to scramble after the speech started to quickly record it so that they can transcribe it for the press. (They were likely expecting 2 lines about Meghan thanking everyone for coming but instead got a 3 minute speech about her experience with the diverse community of Grenfell and how it helped her learn more about her new home)

I think it was ok in this case because it was Meghan's project and she was speaking to a room full of people she was familiar with about their shared experiences but in general speeches do have to be approved to make sure nothing culturally insensitive or politically incorrect is being said, that's why off the cuff speeches are not the standard for members of the royal family or any politician

 

[JessRulz]

I wish we could PIN to the top of a thread, because this would be pinned at the top of my page! It's post 130 if I can remember to remember...

You can ask the moderators if they can put it in the introductory post.

The tour schedule has been added to the opening post of this thread.

 

[Kaizen]

I am looking forward to the tour. I have to say I am impressed by the Duchess of Sussex work ethic. She is serious. She is not perfect but it's nice to see that she is trying.

Also, I cannot wait for the koalas. So cute.

 

[Princess Larisa]

The tour schedule has been added to the opening post of this thread.

Thank you, it’ll make it easier to keep track on a long tour like this.

 

[jacqui24]

Ok, so can someone clarify something for me? Which part can they cuddle koalas and where can they not? I got to pick when I can focus on the tour updates.

 

[Iluvbertie]

They can't cuddle koalas in NSW as it is against the law here. Anyone who cares about koalas also wouldn't cuddle them anyway as they get stressed if they are touched but most people don't care about the feelings of the animals and do what they want anyway.

You can still cuddle them in Qld - and hope they don't pee on you at the same time, which they often do - due to the aforementioned stress.

I would hope that Harry and Meghan would refuse to cuddle, or even pat them and send the message - look but don't touch if you actually care about these gorgeous, endangered animals.