Meghan Markle is ‘pacing herself’ on royal tour as expecting couple cut back busy schedule

The Duchess of Sussex is expecting a baby in Spring 2019

(Samir Hussein/WireImage)

Kensington Palace has revealed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have decided to “slightly” reduce the Duchess’s schedule ahead of the couple’s visit to Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand as part of the royal tour.

The news comes after Prince Harry made an appearance at the Invictus Games in Sydney, Australia on Sunday morning without his wife, who is thought to have been exhausted after a late night watching the Games’ opening ceremony the previous evening, which overran by almost two hours.

The 16-day trip marks the Duchess’s first major royal tour and includes more than 70 events on the schedule.

In a statement, which comes days after the couple announced they’re expecting their first child, the palace 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 royal couple pictured at the Invictus Games on Saturday. (WireImage)

According to royal sources, Markle is “not sick, just tired” and is still eager to attend all of the events she has committed to, but has been her husband is encouraging her to take it easy in light of her pregnancy.

“We have to try to pace her. We have to make sure she is well paced and not overdoing it,” a source told Press Association.

“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."

Thus far, the royal tour has seen the couple travel around Australia, making stops in Sydney, Dubbo and Melbourne.

Alongside the Invictus Games, which takes place in Sydney, a major focus of the trip has been on youth leadership.

Over the past week, the Duke and Duchess have spent time with various youth groups across the country who are addressing social, environmental and economical issues in their respective regions.

Following Fraser Island, the royal couple will travel to Fiji's capital of Suva, arriving on Tuesday 23 October, where they will enjoy a three-day programme exposing them to Fijan culture.

In addition to attending an official welcome ceremony in the city centre's Albert Park, the couple will attend a state dinner hosted by the President of Fiji, where Prince Harry is expected to give a speech.