Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had better get their beauty rest before October 16, because their upcoming royal tour sounds exhausting. Kensington Palace just released a detailed itinerary of the redheaded prince and former Suits actress’ impending jaunt to Australia, Fiji, the Kingdom of Tonga and New Zealand, and it doesn’t include much time for leisure.
The trip will focus on youth leadership projects, in particular how young people are addressing social, economic and environmental issues in those countries. Prince Harry is the newly named Commonwealth Youth Ambassador, and his work will center on education, science, conservation and mental health, all of which are major focuses for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as well as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. It also turns out that the couple will spend a rather small portion of their 16-day tour apart.
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The couple will go their separate ways in Fiji, when Prince Harry heads to Colo-i-Suva Forest Park to unveil a plaque, plant an endangered native tree and meet with locals including schoolchildren and conservationists.
Markle, on the other hand, will go have tea at the British High Commissioner’s Residence and emphasize the importance of female organizations in Fiji, while hearing about the UN Women’s project Markets for Change, which helps promote female empowerment in Pacific marketplaces. Next, the Duchess of Sussex will meet female vendors at Suva Market. The couple will then link back up, as they head to Western Fiji the next morning and then Tonga.
Which is not to say they won’t be together for most of their very packed visit. The pair will follow in the footsteps of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, making stops at the Sydney Opera House and the Taronga Zoo. At the zoo they will officially open the Taronga Institute of Science and Learning, where they’ll meet two new koalas and joeys and some female conservation scientists. That all sounds exciting, but how can it compete with Prince George meeting a bilby named after him when he went with Prince William and Kate Middleton to the same zoo in 2014?
Markle and Prince Harry will also meet OneWave, a local surfing group at Bondi Beach in Australia that raises awareness for mental health and well-being through yoga, surfing and other activities. And of course they will attend the Invictus Games 2018, being held in Sydney. There they will spend time with some servicemen and servicewomen’s family and friends.
This is only a portion of the nonstop activities they have planned, which follow a royally busy month. Kate Middleton returned from maternity leave with a solo appearance at Paddington Recreation Ground, while Markle unveiled her first charity project as a royal and attended her first event alone as a member of the royal family. Prince William just got back from his weeklong work trip to Africa, and he and Middleton will make their first joint appearance together since Middleton’s return from leave next week. And let’s not forget about the upcoming wedding of royal fascinator in chief Princess Eugenie.
Despite all this intense official business, Prince Harry and Markle managed to sneak away for a secret Amsterdam weekend last month—even if it did involve a rather uncomfortable encounter. As powerful as royals are, they still can’t make their exes disappear.
