Prince Harry and Meghan’s Australia Tour Draws Setbacks
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s recent four-day visit to Australia is being followed by questions about its impact, after new figures indicated a drop in interest in Meghan’s lifestyle venture and a funding decision affecting the Invictus movement locally. The developments come weeks after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited Sydney and Melbourne in April as part of a publicity push tied to their charitable and commercial work.
Newsweek reported that data from Similarweb showed traffic to Meghan’s As Ever website fell in April, including within Australia during the month the couple toured the country.
The publication said the site recorded 178,143 total visits in April, down 20 percent from March, while the Australian share dipped slightly—equating to roughly 11,200 visits compared with about 14,500 the previous month. Newsweek also quoted Ms Bronte Coy, a royal and entertainment reporter at News.com.au, who said the promotional effort had “fallen flat,” while arguing the trip still helped demonstrate the couple’s ability to undertake public-facing engagements alongside private-sector work.
Alongside the digital trend, Australia’s federal government has also decided not to renew a previous A$9 million, three-year funding commitment for Invictus Australia, the local charitable arm linked to the Invictus Games. In a separate Britpop News report on Australia pulling funding for Invictus Australia, the charity’s chief executive, Mr Michael Hartung, said it was “deeply shocked and disappointed” by the short notice given ahead of the budget announcement.
The twin setbacks matter because Australia has been viewed as a significant potential market for the Sussexes’ brand and charitable profile, particularly if As Ever expands beyond the United States. For Invictus Australia, the funding decision is likely to intensify scrutiny over how veteran support initiatives are financed and sustained in the years ahead.
