Harry and Meghan's royal trip to cost Kiwi taxpayers

Friday, 19 October 2018

Prince Harry hugs a member of the public as he arrives at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne, Australia.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are t-minus seven days away from touching down in the land of the long white cloud.

And it is going to cost the New Zealand taxpayer anywhere from a few hundred thousand to over a million dollars.

It's the first time the newlyweds are touring the South Pacific together, and interest in the couple was heating up after the announcement that Markle was pregnant with their first child.

Samantha Cohen will be Harry and Meghan's private secretary during the tour.

The couple will visit Wellington, Abel Tasman, Auckland, and Rotorua.

Amy Pickerill is Meghan's assistant private secretary on the tour and will help collect flowers and gifts during walkabouts.

* Prince Harry and Meghan Markle expecting their first child in northern spring

* Harry and Meghan arrive in Sydney for first downunder tour**

Canadian Jessica Mulroney and her husband Ben have joined the royal tour after flying in from Toronto.

The tour will be packed with helicopters, government receptions and regular meet-and-greets with children from Tasman to Auckland's North Shore.

The couple will be accompanied by an entourage of around 10 people, including her Canadian best friend and stylist, Jessica Mulroney, a celebrity hairdresser, a press secretary, four communications officers, someone to look after the flowers the Duchess is given, and someone to oversee the luggage. It is unknown how many of those people the Kiwi taxpayer will help foot the bill for.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrive in Sydney for the start of their 16-day tour of Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand with their entourage.

Government planners were unsure exactly how much the entire trip would cost the taxpayer.

The Duchess of Sussex waves to children during a visit to Albert Park Primary School in Melbourne, Australia.

The royal pair will take day trips to the Abel Tasman and Rotorua: travelling between Wellington and Abel Tasman National Park, would require at least two helicopters. Those choppers would cost at least $13,000 for the day, if hired from private operators.

A humble BBQ was planned for dinner on Monday, October 29, in the Abel Tasman. The next day they fly to Auckland to unveil a plaque at a native bush reserve on the North Shore. Plaques can be bought for about $300.

The New Zealand Defence Force would not confirm if the royal entourage would be flying privately, or on a commercial plane - they did fly Qantas First Class from London to Australia. New Zealand's Invictus Games athletes will join them on their New Zealand-bound flight.

If an Air Force plane was used, each flight would likely cost upwards of $50,000.

As well as transport, the other major costs would be security and government hospitality.

There were two receptions planned while Harry and Meghan were in New Zealand: one at Government House in Wellington and another with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in Auckland.

The last royal visit, by Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla in 2016, cost the taxpayer $1.4m. Each day they were here cost, on average, $200,000.

The Department of Internal Affairs spent $53,476 on government hospitality in that trip. Their tour included only one state reception, in Wellington with Prime Minister John Key.

Harry enjoyed a more modest visit in 2015. The cost of hosting him was a relatively minor $426,317 – $53,290 a day.

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