Just call him Harry!
Prince Harry returned to the U.K. this week for his final round of royal engagements before he and wife Meghan Markle officially step down as working royals. During his appearance at the Travalyst working summit in Edinburgh, Scotland, on Wednesday, the Duke of Sussex asked to by introduced by his name only before he gave a few remarks at the event.
“He wants to say a few words to kick start the day and he’s made it clear that we are all just to call him ‘Harry,'” event host Ayesha Hazarika said. “So, ladies and gentlemen please give a big Scottish welcome to Harry.”
Harry’s introduction was met by a round of applause, as he warmly greeted Hazarika before taking on the stage.
The outing marks his first high-profile event since relocating with wife Meghan Markle and 9-month-old son Archie to Canada. Last week, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced that they will not use their “Sussex Royal” brand — or any iteration of the word “royal” — going forward. Meghan and Harry will officially step down as senior working members of the royal family on March 31.
“We believe travel is a good thing. It is the heart of human experience, of cultural connections, and of new friendships,” Harry said at the event, held in Edinburgh, Scotland.
“It is a global powerhouse that employs hundreds of millions of people, keeping culture alive, protecting some of the world’s most precious spaces, and that introduces us to people, places and wildlife that we’ve only ever seen on a screen,” he continued. “It is these experiences that we remember and cherish.”
Travalyst aims to help both companies and consumers adapt their travel habits to benefit the environment and destination communities. The Edinburgh event will see Harry work with more than 100 members of the Scottish tourism and travel industry to iron out the practical details of just how this can be achieved.
Other than a brief welcome, Harry did not make any speeches or talking part in any panels at the summit, which is being run in association with VisitScotland and Travalyst’s corporate partners Booking.com, Skyscanner, Trip.com, TripAdvisor and Visa.
Prince Harry launched his environmental tourism initiative in September, where he recalled meeting a young boy during a visit to a coral reef replanting project in the Caribbean when he was traveling on behalf of the monarch in 2012.
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Harry’s appearance is the first of many over the next two weeks. He will team up with Jon Bon Jovi at a recording session on Friday. The music icon is re-recording his song “Unbroken” with the Invictus Games Choir for release in support of Harry’s Invictus Games Foundation.
Meghan and Harry will make their first joint appearance following their decision to step down as senior royals at the Endeavour Fund Awards on March 5, followed by attending the Mountbatten Music Festival at Royal Albert Hall on March 7.
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