The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are heading Down Under next month for a number of private and business engagements – their first trip to Australia in nearly eight years.

It was confirmed on Sunday that Prince Harry and wife, Meghan, will be arriving in mid-April where they will reportedly make stops in Sydney and Melbourne.

Having been stripped of official working duties by the Royal family the couple will be travelling as private citizens, focusing on their businesses and philanthropic work during their stay.

It’s unclear whether the Sussex’s children, Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4, will be along for the ride or if they’ll remain at the family home in Montecito, California.

According to reports, Meghan is in talks to make an appearance on the ‘Her Best Life’ podcast, hosted by Jackie O Henderson, who remains on leave after the end of her long-term Kyle and Jackie radio show last week.

It’s also rumoured that Meghan will appear as a special guest at an upcoming Besties event, which has been compared to the visit by Gwyneth Paltrow, who took part in a Q&A at Sydney’s Darling Harbour in 2023 with Henderson.

Reports of their trip were confirmed by the pair’s office after reports emerged on Sunday. There have been no official announcements on the Besties website or from Henderson.

The visit by Prince Harry and Megan comes at a time when the Royals are again feeling the heat.

They will undoubtedly face scrutiny over Harry’s uncle, disgraced former prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and his links to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Last month, the 66-year-old was arrested by Thames Valley Police at Sandringham estate in eastern England on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

Pressure had been building on Andrew in the UK over revelations which appeared to show he had sent Epstein potentially confidential documents during his time as a UK trade envoy.

In a November 2010 email, Andrew appeared to share reports on Vietnam, Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Singapore after an official visit to Asia.

The ex-royal also reportedly sent the US financier details of the trip — on which he was accompanied by Epstein’s business associates — along with investment opportunities months later.

He was eventually stripped of his titles after one of Epstein’s victims, Virginia Giuffre, alleged she had been trafficked to have sex with him.

Ms Giuffre, who moved to Perth after the allegations were aired, took her own life at the age of 41 in April last year.