Meghan and Harry Arrive in Sydney

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have landed in Sydney as they prepare to start their 16-day tour of Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga. 

It was early Monday when they touched down at Sydney’s airport, arriving on a commercial Qantas flight from London via Singapore.

#BREAKING: We’ve received our first sighting of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in Sydney! Welcome to Australia Prince Harry and Meghan Markle! #9Today pic.twitter.com/t8TKmqSmgQ

— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) October 14, 2018

The Daily Telegraph’s Hannah Furness was on the same flight and shared a tweet.   

More from Rachel Clun’s story in the Sydney Morning Herald:

A casually dressed Harry and Meghan walked out a back entrance at the airport to their waiting motorcade about 7.40am, holding hands and looking happy and fresh despite their long flight.

Harry, wearing a grey jumper, placed his bag in the boot of their car and gave a thumbs up to onlookers, while Meghan was smiling and carrying two purple binders.

The arrival was covered live in Sydney. This is via a News Australia piece:

Prince Harry and Meghan, looking remarkably fresh-faced, were whisked out of the airport and into a waiting car.

The royals – and their entourage – were surrounded by a heavy security presence, but still managed to offer up quick smiles for the waiting media.

Meghan and Harry are now at Admiralty House, the official Sydney residence of the Governor-General, Sir Peter Cosgrove and Lady Cosgrove.Video of their motorcade.

.@SylviaJeffreys received a royal wave from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as they arrived at Admiralty House. #9Today pic.twitter.com/ZU2Sf9HNkR

— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) October 14, 2018

The Duchess is wearing the same coat seen in a photo released by Invictus Sydney last week. 

As you can see in the video, it was a rainy morning in Sydney. The temperature was about 60º when they arrived, so the coat made sense.The piece appears to either be a double-faced garment with contrasting lapels and bands at the wrist, or entirely reversible. It also looks fairly light in weight. Meghan wore a black turtleneck, possibly one of the Wolford pieces we have seen her wear previously. She also had on black jeans or trousers and black heels. We will be watching for more photos and will update with any additional pictures or information we learn about tonight.

The Duke and Duchess have an entourage of 10 people for the tour. I believe this is how it breaks down in terms of positions.

• Private Secretary Samantha Cohen, formerly the Queen’s Assistant Private Secretary
• Deputy Private Secretary Amy Pickerill, often seen at Meghan’s side during engagements
• Communications staff of four:
  • probably Jason Knauf, Prince Harry’s Communications Secretary
  • Digital Communications Manager
  • two additional staffers, possibly Katrina McKeever or Charlotte Pool
• Programme coordinator
• Personal Assistant
• Hairdresser George Northwood
• Orderly

Meghan and Harry are expected to take it easy today before things officially get underway on Tuesday, when they have a very busy day. Below we show the highlights from Tuesday’s schedule; you can see our detailed itinerary for the entire tour on our Royal Tour 2018 page here.

TUESDAY OCTOBER 16:

• Reception at Admiralty House:
  • Hosted by Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove and Lady Cosgrove, the Duke & Duchess will also meet representatives of the 18 countries taking part in the Invictus Games.
• Taronga Zoo
  • The couple officially opens the Taronga Institute of Science and Learning; they’ll also meet two koalas and their joeys, part of the Zoo’s breeding program.
• Sydney Opera House 
  • Meghan and Harry will watch a rehearsal of Spirit 2018 by the Bangarra Dance Theatre, followed by their first walkabout in Australia.

Here is a 6-minute piece from Sunrise about the preps for their visit to the Taronga Zoo.

• The Sydney Morning Herald’s story is here; News Australia’s coverage is here
• ABC Australia’s story is here; the Sunrise on 7 coverage is here; ABC Sydney’s coverage can be seen here; the Today Show’s story is here
• Rebecca English’s Daily Mail article is here; Rebecca Perring’s story for The Express is here; The Mirror’s article is here; The Sun’s piece by Annabel Murphy is here;