In a surprising turn of events, Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, appears to have been sidelined from his own eco-tourism firm, Travalyst. The London-based travel firm, founded by Prince Harry in 2019, recently updated its board of directors, and Harry was conspicuously absent from the announcement, leading to speculation about his continued involvement.
Travalyst, a not-for-profit organization, was established with the aim of catalyzing sustainability within the tourism industry. However, the firm's recent push on sustainable travel seems to have excluded the Duke, who has been known to utilize private jets, a significant contributor to carbon emissions, for his global travels promoting the firm's mission.
The Duke's diminished role comes after a tumultuous four years since the inception of Travalyst. During this period, Harry transitioned from being a full-time working Royal alongside his wife, Meghan Markle, to stepping back from royal duties and relocating to the United States.
In May, Travalyst announced its transitional "pilot phase," introducing five new board members with "world-class expertise." The announcement came just over a week after Harry and Meghan reported a "near-catastrophic" car chase with paparazzi in New York City, an incident that drew criticism from the NYPD and New Yorkers. Following this announcement, Harry's presence in Travalyst's marketing materials has been significantly reduced.
While Harry is still listed as the "founder and patron" on Travalyst's website and is reportedly in regular contact with the board and CEO, public relations experts suggest a strategic move to lower Harry's prominence as Travalyst enters a new phase of growth. Sean O'Meara, managing director of Essential Content, noted that Harry had become a "lightning rod for negative PR," which was harming perceptions of the organizations he was trying to support.
O'Meara suggested that it was a wise business move for Harry to "rehabilitate and refresh his media profile" by stepping back and allowing the partnerships to take center stage. He added that when a high-profile "brand ambassador" attracts negative press, it becomes "significantly more difficult to attract attention and generate the required media coverage to build awareness."
This development is the latest in a series of setbacks for the Sussexes, who were recently dropped by Spotify following their $20 million deal.
