“Behind the scenes, however, it was a different story. Although she enjoyed the attention, Meghan failed to understand the point of all those walkabouts, shaking hands with countless strangers. According to several members of staff, she was heard to say on at least one occasion: ‘I can’t believe I’m not getting paid for this’.”
The book also features an insider who claimed that upon seeing fans waiting outside the Sydney Opera House, Meghan said to the team: “What are they all doing here? It’s silly.” When Charles and Camilla later arrive in Australia this week, the Sydney Opera House will also be playing a big part in their tour. It has been revealed that it will be lit up to welcome the King and Queen to Australia.
The world-famous landmark will be illuminated on Friday night with a four-minute looping montage of pictures of previous royal visits to Sydney. Charles and Camilla will tour Sydney and the capital Canberra after landing Down Under on Friday evening.
The gesture, which comes at a cost of between £40-50,000 a night, comes after all six State Premiers controversially announced they would not join a reception in Canberra to welcome the King and Queen. New South Wales premier Chris Minns, who ditched the meeting and is a republican, said it wouldn’t stop the royals being welcomed to the city. Mr Minns said it was important the King was warmly welcomed during his visit to Sydney.
He said the “primary objective” in lighting up the Opera House would be to focus on events taking place in the state capital. Last year, the New South Wales state government decided not to turn the lights on to celebrate the King’s Coronation.
Many public buildings and landmarks were lit up in royal purple to mark the Coronation, including Parliament House in Canberra, but the Sydney Opera House, which was lit up to commemorate the late Queen Elizabeth II’s passing in September 2022, was not among them. The government at the time described the decision as a “cost-saving measure”. The King and Queen will leave the country on October 23 to visit Samoa.
