The Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, has urged his pregnant wife to slow down after she felt tired when the opening of the Invictus Games opening ceremony overran by nearly two hours, royal sources have said.
The pregnant Meghan, Duchess of Sussex joined Prince Harry at a lunch reception in central Sydney after missing a cycling event earlier in the day on Sunday. Harry told some Invictus competitors his wife was “resting back at home, pregnancy takes its toll”, according to media reports.
The Sussexes are currently part-way through a gruelling 16-day tour of Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga, with 76 events on their schedule. The mother-to-be opted to rest following a late night on the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House, after an electrical storm delayed the launch event of the Games. A source said: “She is not sick, just tired.” At the reception, where they met Invictus competitors and other guests in a crowded restaurant, the duchess appeared lively and engaged. The source said that they had expected to return to Admiralty House, where the couple is staying, by 9pm last night. However because the opening was delayed by a thunderstorm, they did not get back until around 10.45am.
“We have to try to pace her. We have to make sure she is well paced and not overdoing it. She had a very late night last night. 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. If it has been a very late night due to unforeseen circumstances, we have to adjust for that.” Kensington Palace confirmed that Meghan, 37 – and believed to be around 12 weeks pregnant – will limit her schedule after consulting her husband, Prince Harry. The announcement that the royal couple were expecting a their first child was revealed at the start of the four country tour. A statement by the palace today said, “After a busy programme, The Duke and Duchess have decided to cut back The Duchess’s schedule slightly for the next couple of days, ahead of the final week and a half of the tour. The Duke will attend the cycling as scheduled this morning, and The Duchess will join him for this afternoon’s engagements. The Duke will continue with the engagements on Fraser Island as planned,” the statement said.
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