Meghan leaves her retreat after TWO HOURS as she and Harry go to rugby

Meghan Markle has left the Her Best Life retreat after spending approximately two hours with women who had paid up to $3,200 for a chance to spend time with the Duchess of Sussex.

She departed the intercontinental Coogee with her husband Prince Harry, shortly after 7pm.

Both were grinning happily as they made their way to a rugby match between the NSW Waratahs and Moana Pasifika.

Guests had started arriving at the hotel in Sydney’s eastern suburbs from 3pm, with the official event kicking off at 5pm.

A gala dinner was then held, where the VIP guests, who paid $3,200 to be there, were able to snap a photo with Meghan.

But is seems that’s all they’ll get with the Duchess instead choosing to spend the rest of her night at Allianz Stadium.

As the couple departed the venue, a young Aussie man rushed at their car armed with a longneck beer bottle and a workman’s boot, asking Harry to ‘do a shoey’ – an Australian tradition in which alcohol is skolled from a shoe.

A plainclothes police officer forcefully pushed him away, so the man did the shoey himself.

Meanwhile, Australian radio host Jackie ‘O’ Henderson and her daughter Kitty were the last guests to arrive and the first to leave.

Participants at the women’s retreat will now be left to enjoy a gala evening without the duchess.

As Prince Harry and Meghan departed the venue, a young Aussie man rushed at their car armed with a longneck beer bottle and a workman’s boot, asking Harry to ‘do a shoey’ – an Australian tradition in which alcohol is skolled from a shoe.

A plainclothes police officer forcefully pushed him away, so the man did the shoey himself.

Meghan was seen in a Scanlan Theodore top as she spoke with Besties co-founder Gemma O’Neill at Her Best Life retreat on Saturday night.

The Duchess of Sussex appeared briefly at the event at the Intercontinental Hotel in Coogee, which began at 5pm, before she left to watch a rugby union match shortly after 7pm with Prince Harry.

The Her Best Life Instagram account shared some photos from the night, including the Q&A with the Duchess.

The hundreds of guests arriving at the Her Best Life retreat were subject to strict security protocols.

Women dressed to the nines were asked to stand with their legs and arms wide apart as security officers scanned their bodies with a metal detector wand.

Guests started arriving from 3pm, while Jackie ‘O’ Henderson made a fashionably late appearance just before 4.30pm.

From 5pm, guests will attend the gala dinner where VIP members who forked out $3,199 will be able to get a group shot with Meghan herself.

Jackie ‘O’ Henderson has arrived fashionably late to Meghan’s retreat at the InterContinental Sydney in Coogee.

The former KIIS FM radio star arrived in a tinted Range Rover, at about 4.15pm, after most of the guests had arrived.

The Duchess of Sussex will be the headline guest at the inaugural Her Best Life Retreat, organised by the events company Besties, founded by former radio queen Jackie ‘O’ and her manager Gemma O’Neill.

Heart-warming-photos have emerged from Harry and Meghan’s visit on Sydney Harbour.

Before boarding a boat to sail around the harbour, the couple greeted the large crowd waiting for them at the Sydney Opera House, where they met fans and posed for selfies,

The couple stopped to chat with Joel Vanderzwan, a veteran who competed at the 2022 Invictus Games at The Hague, his wife, Alexandra, and their three children.

Photos show their daughter Charlotte dancing with Harry after Meghan urged the little girl to show off her moves.

‘Charlotte asked Meghan if she wanted to see her dance, and Meghan obliged, and as all good wives do, roped Harry in to be the prince that he is,’ Mr Vanderzwan said.

The family also presented the couple with gifts that Harry and Meghan showed off for photos – matching custome-made pairs of Invictus Australia-branded thongs – an iconic Aussie footwear.

Harry’s were emblazoned with ‘G’day Hazza’ while Meghan’s had ‘G’day Megs’.

After a busy day, Harry and Meghan have returned to their hotel room at the InterContinental Sydney in Coogee to prepare for the final engagements of their four-day whirlwind tour.

In a few hours’ time, Meghan will meet women who have paid $3,200 for VIP photos at Her Best Life women’s retreat at the hotel.

A courier carrying a selection of Rebecca Valance dresses was seen arriving at the hotel after 2pm.

Event staff have gathered at the entrance to greet retreat guests, who are expected start arriving from 3pm before a ‘Bubbles in the Ballroom’ welcome with canapés.

Guests have been encouraged to ‘connect, mingle and ease into the weekend’.

The reception is due to continue for an hour for those who only paid for basic tickets, while lucky VIPs will break off at 4.30pm for group photos.

After this, at 5pm, guests will be invited to step into the gala dinner, prepared to experience an ‘unforgettable evening’.

Security at the hotel has also been increased with the arrival of the NSW Police Dog Squad.

Tickets for the weekend retreat start at $2699.

Those paying $3199 for the VIP experience will receive a group table photo with Meghan, along with gift bags and a premium hotel room.

Meghan is also listed to join Harry at a Super Rugby game between the NSW Waratahs and Moana Pasifika at Allianz Stadium later tonight.

It’s understood they’ll watch the game from a SCG Trust private suite alongside military and Invictus Games guests.

Up to 15,000 are expected to attend tonight’s match, while thousands more sports fans will pack the Sydney Cricket Ground next door for the AFL cross-town derby between the Sydney Swans and GWS Giants.

A trickle of guests have started to arrive, including Shauna Nep, the co-executive director of Meghan and Harry’s Archewell charity.

Gold Coast baker Megan Towner, who shares photos of her designs on social media and featured on Netflix series Zumbo’s Just Desserts, smiled as she wheeled her luggage into the venue.

Dr Justine Corry, a clinical psychologist-turned-dating coach, was also spotted outside the venue with luggage.

Her company and podcast, The Red Flag Project, works in collaboration with Friday’s event organisers Her Best Life on a dating course that empowers women.

A man wearing only beachball-patterned budgie smugglers has embraced Prince Harry amid scenes of huge fanfare on Bondi Beach.

Harry, 41, and wife Meghan Markle, 44, were greeted by dozens of fans as they visited the Bondi Surf Bathers Life Saving Club on Friday morning.

But no one was as enthusiastic as a budgie smuggler‑clad local who darted in front of the couple to record them as they moved across the sand.

He then stopped the Duke for a proper photo, with his tattooed, slightly sunburnt arm seen wrapped around his shoulder.

In true Aussie style, the man then shook Harry’s hand, gave him a friendly slap on the back and pulled him into what was probably a rather sweaty hug.

Harry and Meghan have disembarked at Cruising Yacht Club Australia in Rushcutters Bay following their sail around Sydney Harbour.

The Duke of Sussex appeared thrilled with his afternoon on the water as he grinned and waved at excited fans waiting to get a glimpse of the couple.

They walked along the wharf hand-in-hand as Harry stopped to pat and cuddle several dogs, including a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

The couple were then whisked away to a waiting car to be driven back to the InterContinental Hotel in Coogee to prepare for later engagements.

Invictus Australia chief executive Michael Hartung hopes that the positive public response to Harry and Meghan in recent days puts negativity about the visit to rest.

‘It’s really interesting seeing the duke and duchess back in Australia since 2018,’ he said.

‘The world was a different place, things were very different at that time and, there was a bit of negativity surrounding their return visit, and I think that’s all been put to rest really.

‘I think the general public can see that their hearts are in the right place, and they’re there to support good causes, like Invictus, it’s a really positive thing.’

Harry and Meghan spoke with several survivors of the Bondi terrorist attack during their visit to Bondi this morning.

They included Elon Zizer, 40, who was shot multiple times while shielding his children that night on December 14.

‘It’s an honour to meet the duke and duchess. It’s very beautiful that they’ve come and made an effort to meet us,’ he told the Sydney Morning Herald.

‘It’s very special – it makes us feel heard.’

Jessica Chapnik Kahn also survived the attack while shielding her five-year-old daughter after attending a Hanukkah party.

The greater problem in the world right now is hate. Hate is a human problem that we’re facing, a very big problem,’ she said.

‘So to highlight that, to be able to connect with them on this heart level, I think is very special.’

The couple also met with representatives from the Sydney Jewish Museum, which is opening an exhibition on the massacre.

Harry and Meghan have been escorted by police protection as they sailed around Sydney Harbour.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex spent several minutes shaking hands and taking selfies with adoring fans when they arrived at the Sydney Opera House, as a heavy police and private security presence watched on.

The couple then boarded a boat for a sail around the iconic harbour with Invictus Australia – similar the one they enjoyed the last time they were here in 2018 for the Invictus Games.

They were escorted by NSW Police officers, which is funded by taxpayers.

Meghan was gifted a pair of Invictus Australia-branded thongs emblazoned with G’day Megs.