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Duke and Duchess of Sussex to land in Sydney this week become the last group of royals to spend holidays in Australia, opening the Invictus Games and spending a week visiting the nation's famous sites.
The royal couple will do what royal couples and tourists are supposed to do: climb the Sydney Harbor Bridge, take the Melbourne tram, explore Fraser Island and visit the Taronga Zoo, where they will probably be photographed with a koala .
The trip, which begins Tuesday, is also a charm offensive. The couple will also travel to Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand – countries like Australia that still have the Queen as head of state.
The Duke and Duchess will follow in the footsteps of Prince Harry's parents, Charles and Diana, who traveled together to Australia and New Zealand for their first tour abroad. This trip is the second official visit of the Duke and Duchess abroad. They went to Ireland in July.
The trip is not without controversy. A former Fijian diplomat said it was "not the right time" for the couple to go to Fiji because of the upcoming national elections. The diplomat said the Fijian government could "take full advantage" of the contacts with the couple, which would give them an advantage over the opposition.
But in Australia, the visit is exciting, and New Zealand Premier Jacinda Ardern said the couple would receive "a warm welcome from the Kiwis".
The Australian state of New South Wales expects thousands of people to attend each of the public events, called "Meet the People" on the Royal Route, including an event in Victoria Park in the rural town from Dubbo, to people are expected.
In Dubbo, the Duke and Duchess must attend a community barbecue. But Dubbo Mayor Ben Shields told the Guardian that he hoped the couple would also be able to enjoy another classic Australian meal: the meat pie.
Will the visit be effective in crushing Republican riots in Australia? During the visit of Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge in 2014, Prince George was dubbed "The Republican-Killer" on television for breakfast, while polls showed that support for Australia for becoming a republic was at its lowest level in 35 years.
Satyajeet Marar, 26, spokesman for the Australian Monarchist League, said the interest in the royal family stung visits like this could only be beneficial for the monarchist cause. "Ultimately, it interests people and reminds them why our functions work so well."
the route of harry and meghan
But Michael Cooney, National Director of the Movement of the Republic of Australia, said things have changed even since 2014.
The leader of the federal opposition, Bill Shorten, has promised a referendum on whether Australia should become a republic in its first year in power, if Labor should win the next elections, scheduled in 2019.
A poll in February showed that 52% of Australians agreed that Australia should be a republic, with only 22% disagreeing. Cooney is insensitive to the impact of the Duke's and Duchess's visit. "Basically, royal visits are good for the republics movement," he said. "The royal news is the news of the republic, it arouses interest and discussion.
"It's obvious that in this case, Prince Harry has a very special and great reason to be here, namely for the Invictus Games, which will obviously be a truly inspiring occasion," Cooney said.
"But if you think about this visit, it's really a picture of what life would look like if Australia were a republic. Someone like Prince Harry comes here for an event like the Invictus Games … and he comes as a welcome guest, but not as our head of state. It's a picture of the future. "
