You Probably Missed This From Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Royal Tour
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle kicked off their two-week tour of Oceania with some big news: They're officially expecting their first child! Since then, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex undertook more than 70 engagements across four countries before flying home yesterday to the UK. Here's what you missed from their jam-packed trip.
Meghan wore some of Princess Diana's jewelry.
The family heirlooms included these diamond butterfly earrings and an aquamarine cocktail ring that she also wore to her wedding reception in May.
And some new earrings with a special meaning.
For a statue unveiling in Fiji, Meghan paired her Jason Wu crepe dress with $3,790 Peepal Leaf earrings from Pippa Small. According to the designer, the "heart-shaped leaves are symbols of fertility and are associated with the mother goddess."
Prince Harry got really excited about receiving baby gifts.
The couple got showered with presents from official dignitaries and adoring fans alike, but the kangaroo plush toy and mini Ugg boots from Australia's Governor General Peter Cosgrove and wife Lynne Cosgrove really bowled Harry over.
Meghan laughed so hard she cried.
In her defense, she had just watched an adorable Tongan children's choir serenade her with a song to ward off mosquitos.
Prince Harry climbed a bridge.
We don't blame Meghan for skipping the climb up the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The Duke scaled the 439-foot-high landmark with group of veterans to raise the Invictus Games flag before the competition began. The multi-sport event held in Australia this year supports wounded servicemen and women.
There was a lot of romantic umbrella sharing going on.
First, she held his umbrella. Then next week, he held hers. A lot of references to Rihanna were made but really they just looked like a couple out of a rom-com.
Meghan wore a macaroni necklace.
Gavin Hazelwood stayed home "sick" from school so he could give the Duchess a painted pasta necklace, and the gesture has since inspired the 6-year-old to follow in her footsteps. "I want to be like the Prince and Princess and support charities," he said. "I made more necklaces the same as Meghan’s. If I sell them, I’ll send all the profits to research for stillborn babies. My sister was stillborn in 2014 and I don’t want it to happen anymore." He's since found more than 200 customers for his $20 necklaces.
Prince Harry introduced Meghan to a loyal fan.
Daphne Dunne met Prince Harry on both his 2015 and 2017 visits to Australia. This time, the Duke of Sussex introed his new wife to the 98-year-old superfan, who congratulated them on the news of their baby. (He in turn complimented her on her pink hair.)
They recreated a classic moment.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stood for the same photo-op on the balcony of the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva, Fiji, where Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip posed in 1953 just a few months after her coronation.
Meghan accidentally left one of the tags on her dress.
The Duchess wore a gorgeous Self Portrait dress for her arrival in Tonga - as confirmed by the label peeking out from the bottom of the hemline. Hey, we've all been there - no judgement.
Prince Harry let a 5-year-old rub his beard.
Apparently Luke Vincent's "favorite person in the world is Santa Claus, who has a beard, so he rubbed Harry's beard," his school principal explained to Metro. The student at Buninyong Public School in Dubbo, Australia, even got a hug from the Duchess too!
Prince Harry gave Meghan his jacket.
Meghan dipped into her husband's suitcase for her final outfit of the tour, wearing his Norr?na puffer jacket while visiting the Redwoods Treewalk in Rotorua, New Zealand (right). Prince Harry previously wore the same coat when they stopped at Abel Tasman National Park a few days earlier (left).
In case their 16-day whirlwind trip made you feel tired just hearing about it.