Updated October 22, 2018 00:13:35

Photo: The Duchess of Sussex has pulled out of official engagements planned for the Royal couple's Fraser Island visit. (ABC News: Danielle Bonica)

The pregnant Duchess of Sussex will not take part in official engagements during the Royal couple's visit to Fraser Island on Monday, Kensington Palace has announced.

Prince Harry and Meghan are scheduled to arrive in Hervey Bay on Monday before heading to Fraser Island, a World Heritage-listed site and the largest sand island in the world.

They were due to meet with Indigenous elders to learn about the island's Aboriginal history, as well as its role as a site for training soldiers during World War II.

Kensington Palace announced that while Meghan will join Prince Harry in travelling to Fraser Island on Monday, she will not take part in any official events.

Photo: Prince Harry and Meghan met with a surfing group raising awareness for mental health on Bondi Beach. (AAP: Dan Himbrechts)

Meghan did not attend the first event in Sydney on Sunday morning at the Invictus Games, but later joined Prince Harry for an official reception and to watch sailing at the event.

Businesses and tourism bodies were hoping for a boost from the Royal couple's visit to the Fraser Coast, which was expected to bring thousands of people to the area.

Prince Harry and Meghan were scheduled to continue their tour in the South Pacific following their brief visit to Queensland, before returning to Sydney next weekend for the final days of the Invictus Games.

Kensington Palace confirmed Meghan would be visiting Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand, despite the threat of the Zika virus in the first two nations.

Photo: Student Luke Vincent stole the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's hearts on a trip to Dubbo. (AAP: Dean Lewins)

The palace announced Meghan and Prince Harry were expecting their first child last week, on the day they arrived in Australia.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have already visited Sydney's Taronga Zoo and Bondi Beach, spoken to drought affected farmers in Dubbo, met with youth leaders in Melbourne.

During a busy visit to Bondi Beach on Friday, the pair kicked off their shoes and donned bright, colourful costumes for a "Fluro Friday" themed session with surfing community group OneWave, which raises awareness for mental health and wellbeing.

While in Dubbo, the pair were greeted by five-year-old Luke Vincent, who stroked the Prince's beard and gave Meghan a hug as they arrived in the regional centre.

Prince Harry also climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge with Prime Minister Scott Morrison and opened the Invictus Games.

Topics: travel-and-tourism, royal-and-imperial-matters, human-interest, people, hervey-bay-4655, qld, australia

First posted October 21, 2018 18:20:39