'It's crucial that we strive to do better': Prince Harry makes surprise video appearance from his Montecito home as he tells annual meeting of Travalyst eco firm that, 'travel and tourism relies on destinations'

Prince Harry has made a surprise appearance by video link at the annual general meeting of eco-tourism firm Travalyst. 

The Duke of Sussex, who is the company's founder, made a virtual appearance at the meeting from his home in Montecito, California, where he told bosses it was crucial the travel industry did better by local communities in vacation destinations. 

He told the board: 'Travel and tourism relies on destinations, held together by communities, without which we have nowhere to travel to," said Harry, who appeared by videolink from his home in California.

'Communities are the beating heart of travel, and we must do better by the people who are the custodians of the places we visit.'

Harry launched the independent non-profit organisation based in London in 2019, when he was still a working royal, with wife Meghan Markle.

He spent three years as the public face of the initiative to encourage the tourism industry to become more sustainable - despite a furore over his use of private jets

It comes after rumours circulated last year the Prince had relinquished his role with Travalyst after the company it had entered an 'incredibly exciting' era with no mention of the royal.

The Travalyst scheme, an independent non-profit body backed by major tourism industry companies including Google, Booking.com, TripAdvisor, and Expedia, aims to help travellers to cut their carbon emissions, prevent over-tourism and develop local economies.

Like his father, who has spoken out for more than 50 years on issues such as sustainability and climate change, Harry has also been a vocal champion of environmental causes. 

Harry officially launched Travalyst in September 2019 at a time when he and Meghan were facing intense criticism after reportedly taking four private jet journeys in 11 days.

The Duke defended himself at the time , saying 'no one is perfect' and that what is important is 'what we do to balance' out negative effects.

Harry flew to the Netherlands on a commercial plane for the launch event in Amsterdam, having spent three years working on the initiative which was founded along with brands including Booking.com, Skyscanner, Tripadvisor, Trip.com and Visa.

Then in February 2020, in one of his last events as a working royal before stepping down and moving to the US with Meghan, he spoke at a Travalyst event in Edinburgh in which he memorably asked to be introduced just as 'Harry'

The conference was organised for Harry and his Travalyst team to gain feedback from the travel industry on new ideas for sustainability, with about 100 people from the tourism and travel industries invited to join the working summit.

In April 2020, Harry was listed on Companies House under the name of 'Henry Charles Albert David Duke of Sussex' as an 'individual person with significant control' when Tavalyst was incorporated as a company. Documents confirmed the Duke held 75 per cent or more of the shares and voting rights.

At the time there were two company directors listed on Companies House - James Holt, who remains one of the Duke's most senior aides, and Heather Wong, who worked as Harry's assistant private secretary at Kensington Palace for three years before he quit the Royal Family. She left Travalyst in March 2021.

Sally Davey, who is now Travalyst's chief executive, was appointed as a director one day later on Companies House.

In July that year, Harry made an opening speech at a virtual global summit for Travalyst, urging the travel industry to 'build back better' after the pandemic.

This appearance was notable because it was his first public appearance since a series of royal revelations were published in Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand's book Finding Freedom.

The following year, in February 2021, he wrote the foreword to a report by Travalyst in which he suggested that Covid-19 offered the travel industry the chance to 'jump-start a wholescale realignment' towards a sustainable future.

And then in May 2022, Harry played a starring role in a sketch for a new initiative in New Zealand for Travalyst in which he jogged through a forest before being accused of dropping a lolly wrapper four years earlier on a trip to the country.

The Duke delivered several phrases in Te Reo Maori for the clip, which he launched on Maori Television's current affairs programme Te Ao with Moana.