We kicked off coverage of this tour earlier today  — well, I guess technically yesterday, and I need to note that I accidentally wrote “earlier this year,” which is accurate but perhaps dramatic! — with koalas and Ian Thorpe (which, as I understand it, is how everyone’s trip to Sydney begins? Yes? He just meets you at your hotel holding a koala?) and move on now to GIANT CROWDS and, also, a wardrobe change for Meghan, into an olive green shirtdress by Brandon Maxwell (which Moda Operandi has in red) and some beige patent heels that I imagine were gifted to her by Kate as a gesture of loving goodwill. I can just see Kate tenderly wrapping these shoes in a baby blanket and gently laying them in Meghan’s arms. “Here,” she says. “These have always brought me luck.”

This is very sweet indeed:

Look at the crowds they got:

Part of Day One’s events also included a performance from Bangarra Dance company, which — per royals reporter Emily Andrews — is “Australia’s leading Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders dance company.” They look amazing:


I’ve said this before, but while I would not love people staring at my midsection in public and/or screeching about my life choices constantly, getting to travel the world and see all this RAD STUFF would make up for a lot of it. I want to go to Sydney and meet Ian Thorpe and a koala and then get to hug sweet old ladies and watch great dancers!

After the dancing and the meeting and greeting, everyone went home and changed and had a reception tonight. God bless Omid Scobie for giving us a good look at the inside of the room:

This next moment is very sweet and also I want to know more about all that china, Harry, so do shift the camera over a bit:

FINALLY, before I send you off to the slide show, I think you might enjoy this Town & Country piece about the logistics of royal tours. You know how I feel about logistics!!

[Photos: Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP/REX/Shutterstock, Matt Baron/REX/Shutterstock]