Angry Australians Launch Petition Over 'Private Citizens' Prince Harry & Meghan Markle's Upcoming Faux-Royal Tour: 'Taxpayers Should Not Fund a Private Celebrity Visit'
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are seen on their 2018 Australian royal tour in Sydney.
March 9 2026, Published 6:16 p.m. ET
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's newly announced faux royal "tour" of Australia is not going down well with some of the country's citizens, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
A Change.org petition has been launched demanding that Australian taxpayers not be on the hook for any part of what they're calling a "private celebrity visit" by the duo in mid-April.
Australians Don't Want to Pay for Harry and Meghan
Australians don't want to see their tax money go to support 'private citizens' Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
The couple's team announced they will "take part in a number of private, business and philanthropic engagements" in both Sydney and Melbourne when they travel Down Under in yet another attempt at cosplaying their former life as working royals.
The duo had a formal royal tour of Australia in 2018 as then-newlyweds. The couple later quit the royal family in January 2020 to seek "financial independence" in the United States.
Hardworking Australians are now demanding they "must not be expected to fund security, logistics or government coordination" for the upcoming visit.
Couple's Visit 'Must Be Treated Strictly as a Private Trip'
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visited the famed Taronga Zoo in 2018.
"Their visit is understood to involve media appearances, business activities and private events. Since stepping down from royal duties in 2020, Harry and Meghan no longer represent the Crown and now operate private commercial ventures from the United States," the petition reads. "Because of this, any visit to Australia must be treated strictly as a private trip."
The summary continues, "At a time when Australians are facing serious cost-of-living pressures, public resources must be used responsibly. Taxpayer-funded security, government coordination or any form of official status should not be provided for a private visit."
No Longer a Royal Tour But a 'Celebrity Visit'
Meghan Markle caused a stir on their 2018 royal tour by wearing a see-though dress.
The petition noted the couple "voluntarily resigned from royal duties and forfeited official privileges" and that "security and government coordination would come at significant public cost."
The petition and its signatures will be sent to Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the country's Department of Home Affairs.
As of March 9, the document had more than 2,500 signatures and blistering comments, many referring to Markle's bad behavior on the previous Australian visit.
She infamously was said to have complained, "I can't believe I'm not getting paid for this," despite being treated as royalty on the trip.
'They Can Pay Their Own Way'
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Meghan Markle wildly overdressed in an Oscar de la Renta frock during a 2018 photography awards dinner in Sydney.
The Aussies who signed the petition made it abundantly clear that Harry and Markle are not welcome if they come with a price tag.
"These two grifters have been handed more money than most people will ever see in their entire lifetime! They can most definitely pay their own way!" one person scoffed alongside their signature.
"Their cosplay ‘tours’ are narcissistic and self-aggrandizing in nature and serve no purpose nor sense of duty to anyone, other than themselves and their now typical goal of shameless and cringe-inducing self-promotion," a second raged.
"It's bad enough that they are coming here to pretend to care about veterans and flog their failed careers. They are not associated with our Monarchy. I don't want ONE CENT of my tax dollars going towards their self-serving BS," a third person fumed.
"I do not now, nor will I ever, want Harry & MM to come to Australia. I especially do not want our taxpayer monies to pay for their 'visit' as they are no longer working Royals. They chose to leave. The late Queen Elizabeth II made it clear. No half in, half out. They chose out, so that’s the issue solved right there," a fourth resident sneered.
