There’s a lot happening behind the scenes of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Aussie tour but it seems the couple has far more things to worry about. Because as of right now a petition to Change.org is gaining traction and it demands their trip to the down under come with no taxpayer funds used, not for security or anything of the sort.
The petition explains its stance in the following words, “At a time when Australians are facing significant cost-of-living pressures, including rising grocery bills, fuel prices, mortgage stress driven by interest rate hikes, and increasing energy costs, public resources must be used responsibly and applied fairly, without special treatment for high-profile individuals.”
With it coming up as early as April 15 and 19, and will be their first time returning since they quit being working royals, back in 2018. For this specific trip, the Prince is coming to speak at the InterEdge Psychological Safety Summit in Melbourne for a mid-five-figure fee. While, where Meghan is concerned, she’ll be serving as host for a luxury ‘Her Best Life’ retreat in Sydney.
Despite this trip being dubbed a private affair many who are signing the petition are of the belief that taxpayer funds will be used for their security, and this has forced their representative and spokesperson to make a statement that reads, “It's a moot point. The trip is being funded privately, so I'm not sure what this petition hopes to achieve.”
But that isn’t where their rep ended as they also noted, "Of course, if you wanted to dive into the ridiculousness of this petition as an agenda for spreading misinformation, then one could equally hypothesize that there are approximately 26.5 million Australians (99.98% of the population) who haven't signed it, who must therefore agree with the taxpayer picking up the tab for their visit...That is another equally stupid assertion to make, but hey, why let common sense get in the way of a good story...”
The government has also solidified their stance on the matter, particularly the offices of The Department of the Prime Minister and the Department of Home Affairs. They claim to have “no involvement in Harry and Meghan’s visit.”