Pregnant Meghan cradles baby bump as she joins Harry to meet fans in Queensland

While they spent most of the day apart, pregnant Meghan joined Prince Harry for a walk along the iconic Kingfisher Bay jetty on Fraser Island to conclude their 7th day in Australia.

Cradling her baby bump, the Duchess was all smiles and happy to meet some of the locals and tourists that had gathered to see the royal couple on the island.

The couple stopped to speak to some of the people gathered along the jetty, shaking hands and accepting gifts.

A baby blanket and some teddy bears were among the various items given to the Duke and Duchess.

Meghan spent most of the day resting at the Kingfisher Bay resort, according to reports, while Harry went solo.

The Duchess had also taken the opportunity to change into a floaty linen dress by American eco-friendly brand Reformation, as well as her Sarah Flint Grear sandals.

Prince Harry strolls through the rainforest

The Duke, accompanied by Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, took part in a traditional Welcome to Country Smoking Ceremony and met with the traditional owners of the land, the Butchulla People.

The forests of K’gari (Fraser Island) were included in the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy project by the Prince of Wales in April of this year.

The initiative, which started in 2015, is a network of forest conservation programs throughout the 53 countries of the Commonwealth of Nations.

Harry unveiled a plaque signifying the inclusion of the forest during his visit.

Harry also visited one of Fraser Island’s iconic lakes, Lake McKenzie, and spoke with local elders and national park rangers to learn about the Island’s rich history, biodiversity and cultural significance.

His final stop was to the beach, to learn about the history of the Island’s logging trade, as well as its use as a training base for the Australian Z Special Unit during World War II.

Meghan and Harry arrive at Fraser Island separately

Earlier in the day Meghan Markle and Prince Harry arrived at Fraser Island separately, after they both touched down in Queensland following a busy weekend at the Invictus Games.

The royal couple were due to visit Fraser Island together, but a last-minute change of plans saw the Duke of Sussex fly solo for much of the day, as the pregnant Duchess enjoyed a well-deserved break from their demanding 16-day royal tour.

Dressed in a relaxed, $163 dress by & Other Stories, Meghan was seen arriving at the airport and then boarding a separate boat to Harry.

Crowds had gathered both at Hervey Bay Airport and Kingfisher Jetty to welcome the royal couple.

She was snapped making her way across the jetty in her sunglasses and sandals, Hervey Bay Eco Marine Tours sharing a photo on Instagram.

Meghan Markle is having a rest

The couple’s 16-day tour originally did not include any rest days for the pregnant 37-year-old, who has been touring Sydney, Dubbo and Melbourne since Tuesday last week.

Harry revealed yesterday that she missed an Invictus Games cycling event at the weekend as “being pregnant takes its toll”.

“She’s resting at home,” ABC News reports Prince Harry told an inquisitive fan early in the day, and Meghan later joined him for an afternoon event.

Meghan has had a hectic past week after kicking off with Princess Eugenie’s royal wedding on the 12th, and then flying straight from London to Australia afterwards.

Since then, it’s been a whirlwind of royal engagements for the former actress, with jam-packed visited through Sydney, Dubbo and Melbourne, before opening the Invictus Games on Saturday night.

They’re not even half way through their tour, which carries on with engagements in Fiji and Tonga, before they will make their way back to Sydney for the closing ceremony of the Games.

On Wednesday, after spending a full day in Dubbo, Meghan told one person she was feeling tired, and by Friday she was still battling jetlag and waking up at 4.30am.

Prince Harry wants a baby girl

As Australia continues to congratulate the Duke and Duchess on the happy news that they are expecting their first child, Harry has revealed he’s already thinking about the baby’s gender.

When meeting well-wishers at the Invictus Games cycling race on Sunday, one person said, “Congratulations, I hope it’s a girl.”

And according to the Daily Mirror, the Duke replied by saying: “So do I!”.

On the couple’s first day of their royal tour, Harry gushed about his excitement over his wife’s pregnancy.

“It is great to be back in Australia, and especially even more so this is my wife’s first visit here, so I am very excited to show her this incredible country of yours,” Harry said in a speech at Admiralty House on Tuesday.

“We also genuinely couldn’t think of a better place to announce the upcoming baby, be it a boy or a girl.”

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