Prince Harry, Meghan Markle hit with unexpected petition in Australia

Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle have received a heartbreaking update from Australia ahead of their visit.

The Montecito-based couple have faced new allegations that Australian taxpayers will fund some of thier upcoming tour, despite their team insisting otherwise.

Representatives of the Sussexes previously dismissed the claims after thousands of Aussies signed a petition last month demanding no public money be spent on the forthcoming tour.

Harry and Meghan's spokesman claimed: "The trip is being funded privately, so I'm not sure what this petition hopes to achieve."

However, police in Victoria and New South Wales (NSW) have now confirmed they will provide security operations in the region for the private tour, according to the Sunday Morning Herald.

"The New South Wales Police Force will conduct an operation to ensure public safety is maintained during the visit by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex," an NSW force spokesman said.

"The operation will require some additional security measures throughout their stay in New South Wales, while minimising any disruption to the community."

A Victoria Police spokesman said: "Police routinely assess events and visits and will deploy resources as necessary to ensure community safety."

The "No Taxpayer-Funding or Official Support for Harry & Meghan's Private Visit to Australia" campaign was launched by advocacy group Beyond Australia through website Change.org. More than 43,000 have now signed the petition.

When learning of the added police presence at the taxpayers' expense, they wrote on their petition page: "This directly contradicts those assurances and raises serious concerns about transparency and the use of public resources.

"Australians are entitled to question this. How does taking photos at a publicly advertised, ticketed event constitute a security threat?"

"This appears to be a narrative fed to the media to elevate perceived risk, now being used to justify taxpayer-funded police and security."

Harry and Meghan previously travelled Down Under in 2018 as working members of the royal family, just months after their  wedding at Windsor Castle. At the time, they  received 24-hour police protection from the UK, with assistance from the Australian Federal Police.