Prince Harry sidelined from project he helped launch in fresh blow to Sussexes
The Duke of Sussex founded the not-for-profit, environmentally friendly travel company Travalyst in 2019,
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Prince Harry seems to have been sidelined by his own sustainable travel company, as the Sussexes continue to fight reputational fires on all fronts.
The Duke of Sussex founded the not-for-profit, environmentally friendly travel company Travalyst in 2019, though from the outside it appears that his association has been muffled.
Eagle eyed onlookers have spied a trend in the Travalyst press releases whereby Harry’s name, once front and centre, has been relegated to the no man’s land of the afterthought bio.
While six successive press releases in 2022 opened up with a description of Travalyst as a “not-for-profit sustainable travel organisation founded by Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex,” the company has since dropped the introductory line for 2023.
The Duke of Sussex (left) at the A'DAM Tower in Amsterdam during the launch of a new travel industry partnership.
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Instead, press releases have been sent out with a bio attached to the bottom of the document which could be seen to distance the company from Harry by including the founding year and praising prestigious partners.
The bio reads: “Founded by Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex in 2019, Travalyst is a not-for profit sustainable travel organization that has convened a coalition of nine of the world’s leading travel and technology companies: Amadeus, Booking.com, Expedia Group, Google, Skyscanner, Travelport, Trip.com Group, Tripadvisor and Visa.”
The Duke of Sussex had appeared in most of the company updates since he set up the charity four years ago.
The first press release to have dropped the introductory line, to instead favour mentioning other companies, was published in December 2022, the same month as the Harry & Meghan tell-all documentary was released on Netflix.
Travalyst claims to work collaboratively to unify sustainability reporting – starting with accommodation and aviation, but ultimately across all verticals – and make this information part of the customer experience when booking a holiday.
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In December 2022, a YouGov poll placed Prince Harry as the third most dislikeable member of the royal family, preceded only by his wife, Meghan, and his uncle Prince Andrew.
In Travalyst’s first 2023 press release in May, the company announced it would be moving into its next phase of growth.
Chief Executive Sally Davey said in May: "Today we formally mark the end of Travalyst's pilot phase with the appointment of a new Board to govern and guide us on our journey ahead to delivering major positive and system-changing impact.
"This is an incredibly exciting moment for Travalyst and, I believe, for the industry as we stride ahead into our next phase of growth and expansion to ensure our work is freely available to all, used by all and catalyses the positive transformation of the sector."
PRINCE HARRY LATEST:
Prince Harry is still described as the founder and patron of Travalyst.
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For this particular press release, new board members were announced, but the bio was dropped and all mention of Prince Harry erased.
Mention of the Duke of Sussex returned in the bio in June and Harry is still featured on the website as the leader, founder and patron of the charity.
Sally Davey, CEO, Travalyst said in June: “Travalyst exists to help bring consistent and credible sustainability information to the mainstream, helping travellers everywhere make more informed choices.
“Nowhere is this more urgent than in the business travel sector, with corporate travellers rightly demanding better, clearer information to make – and for corporations to report on − lower impact decisions.”
Travalyst describes its goal as bringing "credible, consistent sustainability information to the mainstream, helping both travellers and travel companies make better, greener choices."
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Prince Harry has been busy flying to and fro across the pond, between his Montecito mansion and the High Court in London as he fought a phone hacking case against The Sun.
In the high court, Justice Fancourt criticised Harry for his “inconsistent factual case,” as he threw out the claim.
It comes days after The Sun quoted an insider as saying: "There is a bit of a feeling Harry is spiralling out of control and all is not well.
“Members of his family are worried about how he is coping and his determination to keep having legal battles.”
Both Travalyst and Archewell declined to comment when contacted by Newsweek.