Is Meghan Markle, Prince Harry's Australia Tour Just a Money-Maker? The 'ATM' Scandal Explained

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's four-day visit to Australia this week has ignited fierce debate, as critics accuse the couple of staging a 'fake royal tour' to line their pockets while they mix charity engagements with lucrative speaking events in Melbourne and Sydney.

Most, if not all, royal followers are aware that this is Prince Harry and Meghan's first trip to Australia since their hugely popular 2018 royal tour as newlyweds, when they travelled on behalf of the late Queen and drew large, mostly adoring crowds. This time, they are in the country privately, no longer working royals and with no backing from Buckingham Palace, yet their schedule looks strikingly similar to an official visit, complete with hospital walkabouts, charity stop-offs, and carefully choreographed photo opportunities.

The shift in status has not gone unnoticed. The Sydney Morning Herald captured the mood of many sceptical Australians with a blunt assessment: 'Australia was good to Harry and Meghan. Now they want to use us as an ATM.' That accusation—that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are treating the country 'like an ATM cash machine'—has quickly become the defining line of the tour.

On their arrival in Melbourne, the Sussex pair appeared visibly pleased as they were greeted with cheers at the Royal Children's Hospital, where they met young cancer patients. Images of Meghan crouching beside sick children and Prince Harry chatting with parents could easily have been lifted from their days as senior royals. One parent, however, told reporters they had not even known the couple were coming and added, 'I would wonder why they are actually here.'

Later, Meghan went solo to a women's refuge, where she reportedly served frittata to residents, before reuniting with Prince Harry for a family craft session at the National Veterans Arts Museum. On paper, it all sounds very worthy: women's services, children in hospital, military veterans. The language around the trip has followed suit, with the couple framing their visit as being about 'listening, learning, and supporting communities.'

Running alongside those soft-focus moments, though, is the hard edge of commerce. Prince Harry is due to deliver a keynote speech at a summit where tickets cost up to £1,260 per person. Meghan, meanwhile, is headlining an 'in-person conversation' at a women-only 'girls weekend' in Sydney hosted by the producers of the Her Best Life podcast.

According to reports, her appearance fee has been described as a 'fat one,' in the region of $250,000, although no official figures have been confirmed. Nothing about their exact earnings has been publicly verified, so any numbers should be treated with caution.

Meghan Markle Tour Row Deepens Over 'ATM' Allegations

The hybrid nature of the programme is what has triggered so much resentment. Critics argue that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are trading on the royal aura they insist they left behind, turning the optics of service into a commercial brand.

Australian business leader Hilary Fordwich told Sky News that, while the couple insist the trip is 'private,' she believes it is fundamentally about money and even claimed it was there 'to fund that 16-bedroom house they have in Montecito.'

That specific claim has not been substantiated, but it reflects a broader suspicion that every public appearance is now part of a monetised ecosystem of books, podcasts, streaming deals and paid speeches.

The couple have not publicly addressed the 'ATM' jibe or the precise financial arrangements for the events on their schedule. Without that clarity, critics are free to fill in the gaps. One woman on their Qantas flight from Los Angeles was quoted as saying of Meghan, 'I don't like her at all. Don't come to Australia. You don't belong here. We don't want you here.'

Public irritation has also zeroed in on who is footing the bill for the couple's security, particularly in Victoria. With Prince Harry and Meghan classed as private visitors, there is no automatic obligation on the state to protect them, yet the risk profile of two globally recognised figures is not something local police can ignore.

As per Herald Sun, Victorian opposition leader Jess Wilson warned, 'Victoria Police are there to provide security and safety for Victorians. Any suggestion that officers are going to be pulled off duty to provide security and protection for Harry and Meghan's visit is absolutely unacceptable.'

Libertarian MP David Limbrick was more direct, saying, 'If people want to spend thousands of dollars on former royals, that's fine. But Victorian taxpayers should not be on the hook to provide the security of millionaires.'

What Meghan Markle's Australia Visit Says About 'Faux Royal' Tours

Strip away the crowds and the camera flashes, and one awkward fact remains: Prince Harry and Meghan are no longer representatives of the Crown. Yet the Australian itinerary looks, to many, almost indistinguishable from an official royal tour. Critics have branded it a 'faux royal tour,' likening it less to a state visit and more to a UK pop group doing a few charity drop-ins between concerts.

Detractors argue that presenting the trip as a mission to champion veterans or mental health, while simultaneously commanding four-figure ticket prices, blurs the line between advocacy and self-promotion.

Prince Harry and Meghan's supporters would no doubt counter that they are entitled to earn a living and that their presence can bring attention and donations to causes that might otherwise struggle for airtime.

Yet even sympathetic observers in Australia appear to be bristling at what they see as selective royal cosplay: the handshakes and walkabouts without the constitutional responsibility, the gravitas of duty without the scrutiny and constraints that come with it.

IBTimes UK has reached out to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's reps for comments.