Harry to discuss mental health issues facing new fathers
Prince Harry will start the second day of his quasi-royal tour in Footscray, in Melbourne’s west, throwing his weight behind an initiative supporting the mental health of new fathers.
The Duke of Sussex, a father of two (Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4), will take part in a conversation organised by Movember, which is pushing to reform how Australia’s health system engages dads during pregnancy and early parenthood.
A new report has highlighted a gap, finding three in five new fathers were never asked about their mental health during pregnancy or the first year after birth, despite regular contact with services.
The study, by the Movember Institute, shows one in four fathers rate their physical or mental health as poor or fair in the first year, while nearly one in five report increased isolation.
He will also have a chance to chat with AFL players including Western Bulldog Tom Liberatore, as well as Lachy and John from The Wiggles.
A big day for Harry ahead across two cities. Where will Meghan be?
Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of day two of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s non-royal tour of Australia.
Today, Harry will visit Whitten Oval – home of AFL’s Western Bulldogs – in Melbourne with Movember, for a discussion on men’s mental health and the realities of modern fatherhood.
Then, he will travel to Canberra for a series of engagements at the Australian War Memorial, including a reception with Invictus Australia.
Meghan’s plans for the day, meanwhile, haven’t been publicly revealed. We do know that IP Australia accepted Meghan’s application to trademark her As Ever lifestyle products in June.
London’s The Telegraph also reported that private meetings with potential buyers, partners and marketing executives are on the duchess’ Australian agenda.
Stay with us as we bring you rolling updates.
Meghan wears her heart on her ear
Brisbane-born jewellery designer Eliza O’Connor was in the middle of recording a podcast, wearing her signature Puffy Heart earrings when she discovered that Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, was wearing the same jewellery on her first day in Australia.
Meghan wore the $1118 14-carat yellow gold earrings from O’Connor’s Real Fine Studio on her visit to the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, before changing into the brand’s diamond studs later in the afternoon.
“It’s so LA,” said O’Connor, describing how she secured Meghan’s support through mutual friends.
It seems the Meghan Effect is in full force, with the Real Fine Studio website already receiving advance orders. “We haven’t even posted about it yet,” O’Connor said.
A second outfit and Meghan is back to Californian cool
Having played the princess part for patients at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, returned to her stealth wealth style in a suede look from Australian label St Agni.
Pulling her hair back in a bun, Meghan wore the brand’s suede utility cocoon bomber in khaki, priced at $999, currently on the Coming Soon section of the St Agni website. She paired the jacket with a chunky knit and $889 suede skirt from the label for a visit to the Australian National Veterans Arts Museum in Southbank.
Meghan has worn the Byron Bay-based label before, most notably a linen vest with matching trousers to the G9 Aventure Summit in the Hamptons in New York in 2024.
It’s a big day for St Agni, designed by husband and wife Lara and Matt Fells, who launched their collaboration with Witchery for the White Shirt Campaign, raising money for ovarian cancer research, with lunch at Mimi’s restaurant in Sydney.
The duchess serves her speciality, frittata, to women at a Melbourne refuge
After a whirlwind visit to the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, Meghan made a lunchtime visit to McAuley Houses, a women’s refuge centre in Footscray that provides crisis accommodation, refuge services and longer-term housing for women.
Meghan donned an apron and after serving frittata to several people, the duchess asked, “Is anyone else hungry?” She did so looking and smiling at the media and other people gathered in the centre.
Meghan then sat down at a table and joined people eating food at the centre, and told them: “We landed here this morning, so my jet lag hasn’t quite hit yet.”
Those familiar with Meghan’s lore will recall that frittata is actually something of a specialty dish for the former royal. She famously cooked a frittata for friend Mindy Kaling in episode two of her Netflix show, With Love, Meghan. In that instance, she even served it with sprinkles on top.
Photos from day one of Harry and Meghan’s tour
Sydney-based designer Karen Gee learns Meghan is wearing her dress
Sydney-based designer Karen Gee was waiting to see whether Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, would wear her Priscilla dress for her first Australian appearance.
It wasn’t until this masthead sent Gee a photo of Meghan greeting children at Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital that the designer favoured by Australia’s corporate high-flyers could confirm the wardrobe choice.
According to Gee, Meghan has a number of pieces from her collection, including the $1250 Priscilla in the label’s signature bonded fabric.
Structured and tailored: Meghan returns to her royal style
For her first day of her Australian visit, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, has ditched the stealth-wealth style she has perfected in California and revived her royal polish.
At the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, Meghan is wearing the Priscilla dress made by Sydney designer Karen Gee, a sleeveless dress with flared skirt in a dark navy and regimental gold buttons.
Meghan wore a structured white shift dress by Gee during her first appearance of her official Australian tour in 2018.
On that occasion, the Meghan Effect was at full strength, with inquiries crashing Gee’s website.
Alana tells Harry she’s met his grandmother
The duke and duchess spent about 15 minutes chatting to fans at the hospital and hugging patients.
Lily, 4, made a sign welcoming the couple and said it took about five or six minutes to whip up.
“I was very excited,” Lily said.
Meghan and Harry talk to sick children at hospital
Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, were met by hundreds of cheering fans at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne at lunchtime as the couple kicked off a four-day visit to Australia.
The pair met with patients in the same hospital that Harry’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, first opened in 1963.
Novalie, 12, from Geelong told this masthead she “loved” meeting the couple. She said the Duchess wished her luck with her leukaemia battle and congratulated her for being brave.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
