The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have “failed to read the room” as they prepare to begin their second trip to Australia on Tuesday.

The couple were greeted by adoring crowds when they toured the Pacific as newlyweds in 2018.

But this visit will present a stark contrast to their headline-grabbing trip nearly a decade earlier.

“They’ve failed to read the room,” said Australia-based royal watcher Victoria Arbiter.

“When they first left the royal family, they had the world on their side [but] people are now losing sympathy.”

The four-day visit by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, which begs in Tuesday, would have a very different and more low-key feel, Arbiter said.

“They really need this to go well,” she said.

“The 2018 trip was different in that there was such a sense of excitement for their arrival. Everywhere they went they received an incredible welcome … media coverage was fawning, effusive.

“We cut to eight years later and they’re coming in a very different capacity now.”

In 2018, fans clamoured to catch a glimpse of the Sussexes as they walked hand-in-hand down the Opera House steps.

Much of the nation collectively gushed as news of Meghan’s pregnancy was announced alongside images of the couple affectionately patting a koala at Taronga Zoo.

But since then, Harry and Meghan have famously dropped their statuses as working royals, became embroiled in multiple high-stakes legal battles and launched a series of commercial endeavours.

For this week’s visit, the couple will head to multiple Australian cities for private, business and philanthropic engagements.

Organisers of a three-day women’s retreat say Meghan will headline the exclusive event — pitched as a “girls weekend like no other” — while Harry will deliver a keynote speech on workplace mental health at a Melbourne summit.

Tickets to Meghan’s retreat start at $2699, while in-person attendance at the summit will set back punters about $1000 or more.

Arbiter, who has covered numerous royal events for US and Australian media outlets, said it was difficult for many people to reconcile the couple using their royal titles to pursue their private interests.

After launching her lifestyle brand As Ever, Meghan filed and secured trademarks for the venture in Australia in 2025.

Mental health, youth empowerment and veteran support are also expected to be central themes of the visit, reflecting the couple’s oft-cited priorities.

Their charities include the Invictus Games, which Harry launched in 2014 to support injured veterans.

-with AAP