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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex make their first joint official visit to the former county of Sussex, in southeastern England. The duo met fans outside the historic Edes House in Chichester.
USA TODAY & # 39; HUI

Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex arrive at the Sydney International Airport in Sydney, New South Wales. Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan are in Sydney before the Invictus Games.(Photo: Newspix via Getty Images)

SYDNEY – Prince Harry and his wife Meghan arrived in Sydney on Monday, a day before the official start of a 16-day tour of Australia and the South Pacific.

This trip is their only international tour since the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in May, apart from a two-day visit to Ireland.

The prince and the former American actress landed in overcast skies after a commercial flight from London with a brief stopover in Singapore.

They have 76 commitments over 16 days in Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand. In Australia, they will caress a koala at a Sydney Zoo, travel to the drought-stricken town of Dubbo, and meet with indigenous leaders on Fraser Island, the largest sand island in the world, in the north-east of Queensland.

Harry and Meghan were driven from the airport to Admiralty House, the official residence in Sydney of Governor General Peter Cosgrove, who represents the head of the Australian state, Queen Elizabeth II, Harry's grandmother. The couple had no official function Monday after a 22-hour flight.

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Hundreds of supporters gathered with umbrellas in front of the airport and Admiralty House in the hope of seeing the couple. The crowd applauded as the signing couple was led through the port mansion gates.

The tour coincides with the Sydney Invictus Games that begin Saturday. The sporting event created by Harry in 2014 gives sick and injured members and veterans the opportunity to participate in sports such as wheelchair basketball.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attend the British team trials of the Invictus Games Sydney 2018 on April 6, 2018 in Bath, England. (Photo: Samir Hussein, WireImage)

The couple will attend the opening and closing ceremonies of the games.

Harry and Meghan said in a television interview in November that they wanted to promote humanitarian causes that are close to their hearts in Commonwealth member countries, including Australia.

The visit comes six months after the 16th official visit of his father, Prince Charles, to Australia, mainly for the opening of the 21st Commonwealth Games in the city of Gold Coast, Queensland.

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