'Trial Run': Why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Australia Tour Might Be a ‘Soft Launch’ for UK Return

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s recent visit to Australia is reportedly being viewed by royal insiders as a “trial run” for how they might establish a more permanent and organized return to Britain despite currently being estranged from the royal family.

Harry and Markle undertook a four-day trip to Australia between April 14 and 17, where their schedule included a combination of charity events, business engagements and public speaking.

This was the couple’s second trip to the country since their 2018 royal tour shortly after their wedding, while they were still official members of the British royal family.

According to RadarOnline, Hollywood advisers and royal insiders who have dubbed the couple’s Australia trip a “faux Royal tour” have closely observed the same as a testament of how the duo could function internationally while also maintaining the image of a quasi-royal public role outside of Buckingham Palace’s control.

One insider revealed to the media outlet, “Behind the scenes, the Australia visit is now being viewed as far more than just another overseas work trip for Harry and Meghan.”

The source added that the Australia tour might be a reflection of the role that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would like to carve for themselves, which would have the same significance and glamor of the royal family but without being attached to the institution.

The insider said, “There's a sense that it serves as a very deliberate test case for the kind of role they hope to carve out for themselves internationally moving forward – something that still carries the polish, glamour and public impact of a royal tour, but entirely on their own terms and outside the control of Buckingham Palace."

The source went on to say, “In many ways, it's almost like a soft launch for a new model of how they want to operate globally. They want to prove they can still command huge crowds, media attention, and international interest without being working royals."

The couple visited locations like Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne amid speculations of Harry reuniting with his father, King Charles III, since their disassociation from the royal family in 2020.

However, the monarch did not attempt to reunite or even mention his younger son and daughter-in-law during his recent U.S. trip.

However, according to the reports, Harry remains hopeful that his children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, will get to spend some quality time with their grandfather in Britain.

Markle has reportedly not returned to the U.K. since the late Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in 2022.

Her children have not visited Britain since the late queen’s platinum jubilee celebrations in the same year.

Insiders close to the royal household believe that the couple’s Australia trip is a reflection of whether they can handle business interests, royal-style appearances and their celebrity status without sparking any controversy, which they are very prone to.

The insider added, “There's an understanding within palace circles that Harry has never completely let go of the idea of public service or his attachment to royal life. Even after stepping away from official duties, he still appears to want many of the elements that came with that role – the international profile, the charitable work, the diplomatic-style engagements and the sense of purpose that being a working royal gave him."