A beachgoer has been praised after footage captured her refusing to move when her sunbathing session was interrupted by Prince Harry and Meghan.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex drew massive crowds when they visited Sydney’s Bondi Beach last Friday, despite it not being listed on their official itinerary.
After a private meeting with first responders and survivors of last year’s December 14 Bondi terrorist attack, where 15 people died, the couple wandered down to the famous shore to watch a surf lifesaving demonstration.
They were mobbed by dozens of fans and a large media pack capturing their every move.
Footage showed the group walking into the path of a sunbather lying prone on her towel, unfazed by the commotion around her.
The woman carried on reading her book, making no attempt to get out of the way or acknowledge the VIP guests, even after Prince Harry appeared to notice and point at her.
The encounter has since gone viral online.
One post captioned ‘Bondi beachgoer gives zero f***s’ attracted hundreds of Reddit comments, with many hailing her as an ‘unbothered queen’.
A Bondi sunbather appeared to be unaware that Harry and Meghan were just metres away
The woman remained engrossed in her book, despite being surrounded by chaos
‘This is peak Bondi attitude from everyone,’ one commented.
Another added: ‘Oh, give her a medal!’
A third wrote: ‘Love this woman!’
Many defended the beachgoer’s decision not to move, saying she was there first.
‘The beach is public, she can lie around wherever she wants,’ one wrote.
‘Whoever planned this event is the one who should’ve been more aware than just having a group of people walk around on a beach and literally walking over other people with no warning.’
Another added: ‘To me, it seems like she didn’t know what was going on, she didn’t have enough time to get out of the way, so she just stayed put because she would have been knocked out by that walking crowd if she got up.’
The moment sparked debate about whether it summed up Harry and Meghan’s waning popularity since their last visit Down Under as newlyweds in 2018.
The moment sparked debate on whether the encounter summed up the Australian public perception of Prince Harry and Meghan
‘It’s nothing new, there are plenty of images of people not giving a flying f*** when royals are near them,’ one commented.
‘This is 2026, not everyone is going to worship the royals like it was 20 years ago. Expect to see a lot of people like her.’
Another added: ‘The royals will leave, her life continues.’
But some disagreed.
‘The media would have you believe that she (Meghan) was going to be booed or tarred and feathered but a lot of people seemed happy to see them,’ one wrote.
Harry and Meghan later enjoyed a sailing trip around Sydney Harbour, briefly attended a women’s retreat headlined by the duchess, and ended their four-day whirlwind Australian tour with a night out at the rugby at Allianz Stadium.
The couple have since returned home to California.
