Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visit the Sydney Opera House before boarding a sail boat to sail around Sydney Harbour. Picture Thomas Lisson
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle returned home from their multiday Australian tour this weekend and were welcomed back to their $14.65 million Montecito mansion with a sweet surprise from their children, Archie and Lilibet.
Meghan, 44, shared several heartfelt videos from the couple’s arrival at their California home on Sunday, where she revealed that her children had posted a large “welcome home” banner over the front door of their dwelling.
In the first of two clips, the couple’s dog, Pula, could be seen running around outside of the entryway, clearly overjoyed at her owners’ return, while excited voices were heard happily chattering in the background.
As Pula ran inside through the ornate double doors of the couple’s property, a large banner with a red heart in the middle could be seen hanging above the entrance to the opulent abode. Once inside, Meghan then shared a sweet glimpse at some of the gifts that she and Harry, 41, had been sent home with for their children, revealing a video of several books, cards, and candies, as well as a letter than was written to “Princess Lilibet,” the couple’s 4-year-old daughter.
Australian picture books, Minties and Tim Tams were among the items Prince Harry and Meghan Markle brought home from their Australia trip. Source: Instagram
Archie, 6, and Lilibet did not join their parents on their Australia tour, which kicked off on April 14 and saw the couple making a number of appearances in Melbourne, Canberra, and Sydney.
Harry and Meghan’s trip — which drew many comparisons to a traditional royal tour — included visits to a children’s hospital, a veterans’ museum, a women’s shelter, and a mental health organisation.
During the visit, the couple shared many personal stories and anecdotes, with Harry opening up at the InterEdge Summit about the grief he experienced after the death of his mother, Princess Diana.
“In my experience, loss is disorienting at any age,” he said. “Grief does not disappear because we ignore it. Experiencing that as a kid while in a goldfish bowl under constant surveillance, yes, that will have its challenges. And without purpose, it can break you.
“There have been many times when I’ve felt overwhelmed. Times when I’ve felt lost, betrayed, or completely powerless. Times when the pressure — externally and internally — felt constant. And times when, despite everything going on, I still had to show up pretending everything was OK, so as not to let anyone down.
Harry and Meghan in Sydney. Picture Thomas Lisson
“For many years I was numb to it, and perhaps that was easier then, but I also didn’t yet have the tools to deal with it.”
Meanwhile Meghan shared her experiences with online bullying, describing herself at one point as the “most trolled person in the entire world,” noting that she had been subjected to endless scrutiny and criticism from social media users for the past decade since she and Harry began dating.
“For now, 10 years, every day for 10 years, I have been bullied and attacked. And I was the most trolled person in the entire world,” she shared. “Now, I’m still here.”
Appearing at a youth mental health organisation, Meghan added that she has learned that, because the nature of social media likely isn’t going to change, she needed to find her own inner strength to overcome the endless torment she was facing online.
“And when I think of all of you and what you’re experiencing, I think so much of that is having to realise that you know that industry, that billion-dollar industry, that is completely anchored and predicated on cruelty to get clicks — that’s not going to change. So you have to be stronger than that,” she explained.
Meghan and Harry have been outspoken in their calls for better social media regulations, repeatedly warning about the dangers of the online world, particularly when it comes to young people.
Meghan Markle in Sydney before they returned home to their kids. Picture Thomas Lisson
In October, when they travelled to New York City to accept a humanitarian award at the third annual World Mental Health Day Gala, hosted by Project Healthy Minds, the couple revealed their fears about their own children starting to use social media — and how they were going to help them to cultivate a healthy balance.
“Our children, Archie and Lili, are just 6 and 4 years old. Luckily, still too young for social media, but we know that day is coming,” Meghan said at the time.
“Like so many parents, we think constantly about how to embrace technology’s benefits while safeguarding against its dangers. That hopeful intention of separation is rapidly becoming impossible.”
Harry, meanwhile, shed some light on the thousands of families who have been devastated by the fallout from social media use among children, who have been driven to suicide or suffered severe mental health issues as a result of online bullying and toxicity.
“Tonight, we are all here together to focus on what remains one of the most pressing issues of our time,” he said. “Let me share a number with you: 4,000. That’s how many families the Social Media Victims Law Centre is currently representing — families whose children have been harmed or lost forever to social media.
“Four thousand cases at just one firm. And that number represents only those parents who have been able to link their child’s circumstance to social media use.”
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex holds a dog as he meets members of the public at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia on April 17, 2026 in Sydney, Australia. Photo: Getty Images
Harry added that, while some parents have realised that they have legal power to “fight back against some of the wealthiest, most powerful corporations in the world,” doing so cannot help to provide “closure” for those who continue to grieve over the loss of their children.
“This is a pivotal moment in our collective mission to protect children and support families in the digital age,” he noted.
Meghan also appears to have been grappling with how best to balance her own social media accounts — and how much of her personal life she chooses to share.
Having returned to Instagram for the first time in many years on Jan. 1, 2025, the mother of two has steadily been sharing more glimpses into the family’s life in Montecito, where the couple moved in 2020 after stepping down from their roles as working members of the royal family.
In the months since she returned to social media, Meghan has revealed several videos and photos of her kids, including many clips of them enjoying the beautiful gardens that surround their home.
Meghan previously revealed that the gardens of the seven-bedroom, 13.5-bathroom property were what really drew the couple to the dwelling in the first place, after they began seeking out a new abode online.
“One of the first things my husband saw when we walked around the house was those two palm trees,” she recalled in a 2022 interview with The Cut. “We did everything we could to get this house.”
As for why they decided to view the property in the first place, Meghan revealed that it “kept popping up online in searches.”
Interestingly, Meghan admitted that she and Harry were initially concerned that they wouldn’t be able to afford the home, noting that — at the time — they were both unemployed.
“We didn’t have jobs, so we were just not going to come and see this house. It wasn’t possible,” she said. “It’s like when I was younger and you’re window shopping — it’s like, ‘I don’t want to go and look at all the things that I can’t afford — that doesn’t feel good.”
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