The Duke and Duchess, Harry and Meghan, meet youngsters during a lunchtime reception in Sydney. Photo / AP
The Duke and Duchess, Harry and Meghan, meet youngsters during a lunchtime reception in Sydney. Photo / AP
The Duchess of Sussex pulled out of an Invictus Games medal presentation yesterday morning as the realities of being pregnant during a gruelling royal tour caught up with her.
The Duchess, who is about four months pregnant with her first child, spent the morning resting after an unexpected late finish to the Invictus opening ceremony on Saturday before catching up with her husband for their second event of the day.
She had already disclosed she had been trying to overcome jetlag by practising yoga at 4.30am, as she dealt with a rigorous programme of engagements including flights between cities on several days.
A source said the Duke and Duchess took the decision to modify their schedule over the next few days to ensure the continued health of mother and baby.
The Duke presented medals at the road cycling event without his wife.
Prince Harry told Invictus competitors that Meghan was "resting back at home", adding: "Being pregnant takes its toll".
They will consider how much of the Fraser Island programme - today's destination before they fly out to Fiji - the Duchess will be up to. There are concerns over the terrain of the sand island, where journeys involve a bumpy car ride which often leaves tourists feeling unwell.
A source said the Duchess was not unwell but simply resting.
"After a busy programme, the Duke and Duchess have decided to cut back the Duchess' schedule slightly for the next couple of days, ahead of the final week and a half of the tour," a palace aide said.
Saturday's opening ceremony overran by at least an hour, finishing about 10.30pm after a thunderstorm.
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duchess Sussex attend a lunchtime reception hosted by Prime Minister Scott Morrison with Invictus Games competitors. Photo / AP
The Duchess rejoined the planned schedule for the second event of the day, a reception at the Pavilion restaurant in Sydney's central parkland, The Domain.
Hosted by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, they joined Invictus competitors and their family and friends for a lunchtime gathering to hear more about the games.
The Duchess, wearing a black polo-neck and white blazer, appeared in good health.
Reunited, the couple met children from mental-health charity Kookaburra Kids, with the Prince doling out hugs to the Team GB athletes he knew from previous years.
The Duke encouraged his wife to slow down after she felt tired when the opening of the Invictus Games overran, according to a royal source.
The source said they had expected to return to Admiralty House, where the couple was staying, by 9pm on Saturday, but did not get back until about 10.45pm.
"We have to make sure she is well paced and not overdoing it. She wants to do everything, but Prince Harry is encouraging her to pace herself.
"We want to make sure she gets enough rest at the beginning of the day and at the end of the day."
Prince shows athletes who wears the - tiny - pants
Prince Harry laughingly refused to sign the "budgie smugglers" offered by Ben Yeomans yesterday. Photo / AP
The Duke of Sussex was given a pair of "budgie smugglers" yesterday - and promptly put the tight-fitting togs on over his jeans.
They were presented to him when a disabled sports presenter and two members of the Australian Invictus Games team visited him at Admiralty House, the Governor-General's residence where the couple are staying in Sydney.
Dylan Alcott, a host on ABC's daily round-up of the games, had a private talk with Prince Harry and team members Matt Model and co-captain Nicole Bradley.
He said: "One of the athletes, Matt, gave him a pair of budgie smugglers.
"He said, 'Shall I put them on?' We said, 'One hundred per cent.' So he put them on ... Good on him.
"I think it did wonders for him. I reckon the duchess will love them. But who knows? Maybe not."
It wasn't the only incident relating to budgie smugglers yesterday. Invictus runner Ben Yeomans tried to get Prince Harry to sign his specially made pair but the prince refused amid much laughter as Yeomans put them on his head - in full view of the press.
Alcott, who is a triple Paralympic gold medallist in wheelchair tennis and wheelchair basketball, added: "To ... have a chat with him about [really important issues] like mainstreaming disability, talking PTSD - what he has done is normalised it a lot. As someone who has had a disability my whole life, it really meant a lot to me to be able to say thank you. He is such a good bloke."
