Prince Harry and Meghan arrive in Australia to a muted welcome

Britain's Prince Harry and wife Meghan landed in Australia on Tuesday for a four-day visit with engagements covering sport, mental health and veterans' affairs.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex began their trip at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, where they took part in an activity in the hospital's therapeutic garden spaces.

"It was a genuinely meaningful visit for our staff and for the young people receiving care," said Dr Peter Steer, the hospital's CEO.

Harry, wearing a navy suit and white shirt, spoke to children and posed for photographs with patients in the foyer of the hospital, calling one of the handmade signs welcoming the couple "beautiful".

Meghan, who wore a matching A$1,250 ($885) navy dress by Sydney-based designer Karen Gee, later helped serve food at a women's domestic violence shelter in the city.

The Sussexes stepped down as working members of the British royal family and moved to the U.S. in 2020, citing a desire to be financially independent and to escape what they characterised as media intrusion into their private lives.

They last visited Australia in 2018 while still working royals, announcing Meghan's first pregnancy hours after arriving in Sydney.

MEGHAN TO LEAD WELLNESS RETREAT

Their latest visit has captured public attention in Australia, where Britain's King Charles is the head of state, though a sizeable minority supports becoming a republic.

But there was little sign of the ecstatic reception that greeted them on the 2018 trip. Television networks aired footage that they said showed the couple arriving in Melbourne on a commercial flight from Los Angeles, before being taken from the tarmac in a vehicle convoy.

The couple's travel is being privately funded, though local media reported some policing costs associated with the visit would be paid by Australian taxpayers, sparking a protest petition signed by more than 45,000 people.

The couple will travel to the capital, Canberra, on Wednesday to meet military veterans, attend a mental health summit in Melbourne on Thursday and round off the joint leg of their trip with sailing and rugby events in Sydney on Friday.

In contrast to their previous visit, the Sussexes will also undertake commercial activities while in Australia, with Meghan remaining in the country to host a wellness retreat at a luxury beachside hotel in Sydney over the weekend.

Tickets for the event, which includes yoga, manifestation and sound healing, start at A$2,699 ($1,912) per person.

($1 = 1.4114 Australian dollars)

-Alasdair Pal/Reuters