Prince Harry and Meghan Markle meet survivors of Bondi Beach terror attack on final day of Australia tour

Ben McCaffrey
Fri, 17 Apr 2026 06:22:21 +0000

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex met with survivors of the Bondi Beach terror attack on Friday.

The trip marked the couple's final day of their tour of Australia.

Prince Harry and Meghan also met emergency workers who responded to the shooting, which occurred on December 14, 2025, as well as representatives of the Sydney Jewish Museum, which is opening an exhibition on the attacks.

The attack left 15 people dead and 40 more injured when two gunmen opened fire on a crowd celebrating the first day of Hanukkah.

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The duke and duchess spoke to Elon Zizer, 40, who survived after being shot multiple times while shielding his children from gunfire.

"It’s an honour to meet the duke and duchess. It’s very beautiful that they’ve come and made an effort to meet us," he said.

"It’s very special – it makes us feel heard."

Lifeguard Jonathan Botts, who responded to the attacks, said Harry and Meghan's visit "means a lot".

"They’ve taken time out of their pretty brief visit to Australia to visit the site and meet with some of the people that were involved and a lot of the people who are affected," he said.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex examined artefacts that are to make up a new exhibition at the Sydney Jewish Museum.

They also met the museum's senior curator, Shannon Biederman, who described their visit as "really special".

Alleged gunman Naveed Akram, 24, has been charged with 59 offences by New South Wales Police over the massacre, including 15 counts of murder.

Akram's father, Sajid, 50, was shot dead by police at the scene.

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The couple also spoke to Jessica Chapnik Kahn at the Bondi Surf Bathers’ Life Saving Club, who was on the beach during the attack with her five-year-old daughter. She described meeting Harry and Meghan as an "honour".

"The greater problem in the world right now is hate," she detailed.

"Hate is a human problem that we’re facing, a very big problem. So to highlight that, to be able to connect with them on this heart level, I think is very special."

She added: "When the gunshots started, we started running towards the beach, and it became very clear we weren’t going to make it to the beach and stay alive. So we hid in a picnic area.

"I didn’t want my daughter to die with gunshots and sirens and wailing mothers – I just couldn’t reconcile that those would be her last moments.

"So I spoke really clearly into her ear, and I said: 'My darling, go inside yourself where all the love is, and stay there. Stay in your heart, my baby'.

"And she heard me, and we laid there together in this heart space in the middle of horror for who knows how long, and we survived."

The couple later headed onto the sand, where they were greeted by thousands of beachgoers under the beaming sunlight.

They were shown inflatable rescue boats used by lifeguards on the beach, and were given a pair of flip flops with "G'Day Megs" blazoned on the sole.