“The trip is being funded privately, so I’m not sure what this petition hopes to achieve.”
He went further, criticizing the petition’s significance and impact:
“Of course, if you wanted to dive into the ridiculousness of this petition as an agenda for spreading misinformation, then one could equally hypothesise that there are approximately 26.5 million Australians (99.98 per cent of the population) who haven’t signed it,” he said.
“Who must therefore agree with the taxpayer picking up the tab for their visit.
“Of course, that is another equally stupid assertion to make.”
During their time in Australia, Meghan is expected to headline a women’s retreat in Sydney, where tickets reportedly cost thousands of dollars, while Harry will speak at a workplace mental health summit in Melbourne.
The couple have not visited the country since 2018, when they were still working royals and their tour was funded by taxpayers, including official security and accommodation arrangements.