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Prince Harry and his new bride Meghan have arrived in Sydney a day before kicking off their first overseas tour as a royal couple.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex touched down just after 7am on a overcast Sydney morning after flying in from Singapore on a Qantas flight. It had been thought they had arrived at 6am on a British Airways flight, but it later emerged they were on the Qantas flight.
Holding hands and casually dressed, the couple walked out a back entrance and got into a car. Meghan, wearing skinny black pants and black, burgundy trimmed coat, was smiling and clutching folders, while Harry gave a thumbs up to bystanders.
A police motorcade whisked them away just after 7.40am to Admiralty House where dozens of locals were waiting to greet them.
The royal couple waved at them as they drove throught the gates the governor-general's Sydney residence just after 8am.
They will spend the day recovering from the flight and prepare for their first full day of engagements on Tuesday.
Tuesday will be the first time for the public to interact with the couple, who were married in May.
They will be officially welcomed by Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove before visiting Taronga Zoo and the Sydney Opera House.
They have 76 engagements across 16 days in Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand, which will include Sydney, Dubbo, Melbourne and Queensland's Fraser Island..
The tour coincides with the Invictus Games in Sydney, which runs from October 20-28. The sporting event founded by Prince Harry in 2014 gives sick and injured service personnel and veterans the opportunity to compete in sports such as wheelchair basketball and sitting volleyball.
The couple will mark the games' launch and closing ceremony in Sydney.
Harry and Meghan's tour of Australia is seen as a key one for the royal couple who, during a TV interview to mark their engagement last November, spoke of their desire to promote humanitarian causes close to their hearts across Commonwealth member countries including Australia.
The visit comes six months after Prince Charles made his 16th official visit to Australia, primarily to open the 21st Commonwealth Games on Queensland's Gold Coast.
Australian Associated Press
EARLIER: Prince Harry and his new bride Meghan will act as a huge drawcard for the world to watch Sydney and NSW as the royals visit the state in their first overseas tour as a married couple, Premier Gladys Berejiklian says.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex touched down in Sydney on Monday morning following a long-haul flight, and just days after they watched Princess Eugenie tie the knot in a lavish ceremony.
Their tour coincides with the Invictus Games in Sydney, which runs from October 20-28, and the couple will mark the games' launch and closing ceremony in the city.
Ms Berejiklian says the royal visit will have flow-on benefits and hosting the Invictus Games will also be a "huge boost" for the state.
"I hope the weather holds up because it will be a wonderful experience for everybody and what better place to be able to welcome them and hopefully we'll give them Sydney sunshine, not Melbourne rain," Ms Berejiklian told Channel Nine on Monday.
The premier said balancing security with public access to the couple wasn't easy but she felt there'd be a healthy balance.
"It's not an easy task but we know the couple love meeting people, they're very spontaneous, they want the opportunity to talk to people and I guess the police take all of that into consideration," she said.
"Safety always comes first, security comes first, but also making sure the couple have the freedom to do what they enjoy."
Australian Associated Press
