Canberra Airport gushes over Prince Harry

The Instagram and Facebook accounts of Canberra Airport officially announced the arrival of Prince Harry by posting a video of the Duke of Sussex.

While the video posted on the airport’s social media accounts took his fans by pleasant surprise, the move didn’t go down well with his critics.

"Even Canberra Airport was super excited to welcome Prince Harry. This is the first time I’ve seen any Australian airport post excitedly about the arrival of a passenger," wrote a Sussex fan while sharing the video.

"Canberra Airport gushing about Prince Harry on Instagram!" said another fan.

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle are on a four-day trip to Australia, with engagements covering sport, mental health and veterans' affairs.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have two children, Archie and Lilibet, who are not accompanying them on ​the trip.

The couple stepped down as working members of the British royal family and moved to the US ​in 2020, citing a desire to be financially independent and to escape what they characterised as media intrusion into their private ‌lives.

They last ⁠visited Australia in 2018 while still working royals, announcing Meghan's first pregnancy hours after arriving in Sydney.

Harry and Meghan have received a mixed reception in Australia, where Britain's King Charles is the head of state, though a sizeable minority supports becoming a republic.

The couple were greeted by hundreds of children and parents at a ​children's hospital in Melbourne on Tuesday, ​who said their presence ⁠had brought hope to young patients there.

But many other Australians have questioned their reasons for visiting the country.

"This is no royal visit but a continuation of tone-deaf hawking ​by a couple estranged from reality," an opinion piece in the Sydney Morning Herald ​said ahead of ⁠the visit.

The couple's travel is being privately funded, though local media reported some policing costs associated with the visit would be paid by Australian taxpayers, sparking a protest petition signed by more than 45,000 people.