Prince Harry speaks of struggles of fatherhood on Australia tour

SYDNEY, April 15 (Reuters) – Britain’s Prince ​Harry spoke on Wednesday of the struggles of early fatherhood, as he visited a Melbourne football ‌club on the second day of his tour of Australia with wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.

The couple is on a four-day trip to the country, with engagements covering sport, mental health and veterans’ affairs.

At the training ground of the Western Bulldogs Australian rules ​football club, Harry gave a speech in which he spoke about feeling disconnected from his children, and ​using therapy to overcome past issues. “Certainly, I felt a disconnection because my wife was ⁠the one creating life, and I was there to witness it,” he said at the event, co-hosted by ​the Movember mental health charity.

“From a therapy standpoint, you want to be the best version of yourself for your ​kids. And I knew that I had stuff from the past that I needed to deal with, and therefore prepare myself to basically cleanse myself of the past.”

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have two children, Archie and Lilibet, who are not accompanying them on ​the trip.

The couple stepped down as working members of the British royal family and moved to the U.S. ​in 2020, citing a desire to be financially independent and to escape what they characterised as media intrusion into their private ‌lives.

They last ⁠visited Australia in 2018 while still working royals, announcing Meghan’s first pregnancy hours after arriving in Sydney.

COUPLE RECEIVE MIXED RECEPTION

Harry and Meghan have received a mixed reception in Australia, where Britain’s King Charles is the head of state, though a sizeable minority supports becoming a republic.

The couple were greeted by hundreds of children and parents at a ​children’s hospital in Melbourne on Tuesday, ​who said their presence ⁠had brought hope to young patients there.

But many other Australians have questioned their reasons for visiting the country.

“This is no royal visit but a continuation of tone-deaf hawking ​by a couple estranged from reality,” an opinion piece in the Sydney Morning Herald ​said ahead of ⁠the visit.

The couple’s travel is being privately funded, though local media reported some policing costs associated with the visit would be paid by Australian taxpayers, sparking a protest petition signed by more than 45,000 people.

In contrast to their previous ⁠visit, the ​Sussexes will also undertake commercial activities while in Australia, with Meghan ​remaining in the country to host a wellness retreat at a luxury beachside hotel in Sydney over the weekend.