Their Royal Highnesses, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, welcomed to Sydney
Their Royal Highnesses, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, have been welcomed to Sydney by Premier Gladys Berejiklian – and the Royal couple have enjoyed a close encounter with two very special koala joeys gifted to them by the people of NSW.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were greeted this morning by Australia’s Governor-General His Excellency General the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove AK MC (Ret’d), Lady Cosgrove and Ms Berejiklian during a short reception at Admiralty House.
Representatives from the 18 countries competing in the Invictus Games also welcomed the Royal couple at the start of their 10-day visit to Australia, which includes stays in Sydney and Dubbo.
After the short reception at Admiralty House, Ms Berejiklian took the Royals on a tour of Taronga Zoo, where The Duke and Duchess of Sussex met their namesake koala joeys, Harry and Meghan - a wedding gift from the people of NSW.
“I am delighted to welcome Their Royal Highnesses to Sydney today and to show them around our great city,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“The Duke and Duchess were very excited to meet the koala joeys and expressed their deep gratitude to the people of NSW for such a truly Australian gift.”
Following the marsupial meet and greet, the Premier joined Their Royal Highnesses in officially opening the Taronga Institute of Science and Learning, a state-of-the-art facility, the first of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere and home to the largest zoo-based conservation science team in Australasia.
“It is an absolute honour to have Their Royal Highnesses officially open the new Taronga Institute as strong advocates for conservation,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“The groundbreaking research conducted by the team of dedicated scientists here will be instrumental in inspiring future generations and shaping the future for Australia’s much-loved wildlife.”
The Premier will also join the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at Sydney Opera House today, for a public walk along the Western Boardwalk.