Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were snubbed by the Irwin family in Australia because they are ‘staunch monarchists and fiercely loyal to The Firm’ and didn’t want to upset Prince William, it has been claimed Down Under.
The Duchess of Sussex, 44, had reportedly hoped to spend time with celebrity conservationist Robert Irwin, 22, and his family at Australia Zoo in Queensland.
The Irwins have joined with the Royal Family for a number of official engagements over the past decade including with King Charles, then the Prince of Wales, in 2018.
Most recently Robert, son of Steve Irwin, flew to South Africa to support Prince William’s Earthshot Prize in 2024 as his role as ambassador for the award.
But according to an Australian women’s weekly magazine, while the Irwins have ‘no ill-will’ towards the Sussexes, ‘it wasn’t possible’ to meet with Meghan and Harry on their four-day tour of Australia last week.
‘Aligning with the Irwins’ worthy causes is something that Meghan and Harry could be on board with,’ an insider told New Idea magazine.
However, the meeting did not go ahead, with New Idea reporting the Irwins politely declined the invitation, in part because they are monarchists.
‘They meant no ill-will towards the Sussexes, but at the end of the day they are all staunch monarchists and fiercely loyal to The Firm,’ an insider told the publication.
They added that Robert was particularly close to Harry’s brother William, as an ambassador for his Earthshot Prize, and didn’t want to upset the Prince of Wales by appearing to side with Meghan.
‘It just wasn’t possible,’ a source added.
It follows reports that guests who paid thousands to attend Meghan Markle’s Her Best Life retreat in Sydney over the weekend may have been treated to Champagne, selfies with the duchess and plush hotel rooms – but the budget gift bags they left with have raised a few eyebrows.
Far from a haul of ultra-premium beauty products, attendees were instead handed a mix of affordable wellness and supermarket-adjacent items that wouldn’t look out of place in a weekly shop.
Included in a branded canvas bag was a small $21 can of Meghan’s famous As Ever edible flowers, alongside a Tri-Peptide Lip Butter Glaze which sells at Coles for $18.
There was just one other item from her As Ever collection – a ‘Hold That Thought’ leather bookmark – which is sold online for $28.
There were also $21 Hunter lavender-scented candles, which sit firmly in the mid-range wellness category.
Meanwhile, a Love Tea gift box set, valued at $39, added a more premium feel.
A bag of Funday sweets, which retail for $4.50 and are available at most supermarkets and chemists, were also thrown in.
The total value of the gift bag was just under $200.
Tickets for the retreat cost $2,699 for standard entry or up to $3,199 for VIP premium packages which offered more direct access to Meghan.
On Friday night, Meghan spent just two hours with female fans who paid to ask her questions and pose for pictures at a money-spinning ‘ultimate girls’ weekend where she bemoaned her ‘very hard’ life.
After 120 minutes at the gala, Meghan departed the InterContinental Coogee with her husband Prince Harry shortly after 7pm, in the back of a luxury Range Rover.
Excited paying guests had started turning up at the five-star beachside hotel in Sydney’s eastern suburbs from 3pm due to the strict security arrangements, with the official event kicking off at 5pm.
On stage at the gala dinner, where paying guests ate kingfish, beef tenderloin and coconut crumble, Meghan bemoaned her ‘very hard’ life in the public eye, claiming she has been ‘attacked’ ever since marrying Prince Harry.
She said she had enjoyed ‘amazing moments’ since meeting the British royal, including getting married and having two children, but insisted she had also ‘endured’ constant attacks for a decade.
Before she began speaking, Prince Harry, who was one of the few men in the audience, reportedly gave his wife a standing ovation as she arrived in the room.
The tour, which ended on Friday, mixed lucrative events and charity visits.
A source close to the Sussexes insisted that the Australian adventure has been a success – and that the ‘half in, half out model’ opposed by the late Queen and the Royal Family can work.
‘We’ve tested the playbook, it worked,’ a source close to the Sussexes told The Daily Telegraph in Sydney as the couple head back to LA.
‘They’re doing the right thing. Whether you want to call it half in, half out or – as they would probably describe it – just doing what they want to do and doing it in a really positive way, this week has given us reassurance that it is the right course of action. This could absolutely act as a blueprint for the future.’
A member of Harry’s close circle added that he is ‘philosophical’ about some of the criticism he and Meghan have received Down Under.
‘One thing that Harry often says is that the truth will always out’, they said.
‘The more they do of this, the more that people see them, interact with them, the more they see that there isn’t an agenda here’.
But there were stark reminders of their two worlds crashing together.
There was some consternation when Duchess of Sussex’s outfit when she met survivors of the Bondi terror attack was immediately available for her fans to buy on a website where she is paid a percentage from sales.
Harry is also featured on the OneOff page advertising his wife’s ‘look’ at the Sydney beach on Friday, although he is largely covered by links to her $440 blue and white striped Matteau shirt, $139 white ‘sailor jeans’ and $298 Freda Salvador trainers.
Meghan’s $198 Brochu Walker sunglasses and $950 brown suede bag from her Bondi engagement are also being advertised.
Meghan is expected to earn a portion of OneOff’s sales commission, which ranges from 10 per cent to 25 per cent per item sold. She is also an investor in the AI-powered fashion business.
The Duchess of Sussex had looked deeply moved as she listened to stories from those who witnessed the horrific antisemitic massacre in December that claimed 15 lives.
Meghan also embraced Jessica Chapnik Kahn, who survived while shielding her five-year-old daughter after attending a Hanukkah party. She and Harry also spoke to first responders to the Bondi terrorist attack, including lifeguards on the beach.
All Meghan outfits from the Australian tour continue to be uploaded almost immediately to OneOff, including the one she wore at Bondi.
She will take a percentage of any sales from the online fashion sales platform, described as the ‘Spotify of fashion’.
Critics have said that the decision to advertise the duchess’s ‘look’ on a visit to meet terror attack survivors is ‘the starkest example yet of Harry and Meghan’s efforts to commercialise their royal brand’.
Royal expert Richard Palmer said the sale of her Bondi outfit online reflects badly on the Sussexes – and will worry the Royal Family.
He said: ‘This is perhaps the starkest example yet of Harry and Meghan’s efforts to commercialise their royal brand.
‘I think this will have alarm bells ringing at the palace and may ultimately prompt further discussion about whether there is a need to strip them of their royal titles, now the King has shown it can be done in effect with Andrew.
‘The palace can say it’s nothing to do with the institution because Harry and Meghan aren’t publicly-funded members of it – but they are the King’s son and daughter-in-law and any suggestion of cashing in on royal status reflects badly on the monarchy’.
