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Before the news broke in the U.S. that Meghan Markle’s father, Thomas Markle Sr., had been arrested by federal authorities in Florida on charges related to child abuse material, Prince Harry took center stage as a keynote speaker on the other side of the pond.

The Duke of Sussex gave a surprise speech during the 25th annual Wanderlust Reader Travel Awards at the Old Royal Naval College, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in London on Nov. 4. More than 500 guests from across the international travel industry attended the ceremony, which celebrated the destinations, airlines, and travel companies most admired by Wanderlust magazine readers.

Prince Harry spoke on behalf of Travalyst, the non-profit sustainable travel organization he founded in 2019. Travalyst’s mission is to mobilize the global travel ecosystem by delivering trusted, transparent sustainability data at scale to mainstream booking platforms, aligning major travel and tech companies, and engaging policymakers.

As the royal stood in front of the microphone and began delivering his remarks. He pointed out exactly what he observed going on in the audience at that time. “All I can see is phones,” he declared in videos making the rounds on social media.

When the audience began laughing, the duke put his hand on his hip and reminded them, “You guys, literally he just talked about it.”

He then went back to his speech, saying, “I started Travalyst because I believe deeply in travel as a force for good. But if tourism stops working for the people who call these destinations home, eventually it stops working for everyone. By collaborating as an industry, we can ensure nature survives and destinations thrive, while travel remains a source of prosperity, connection, and exploration for generations to come.”

Over the years, the prince has been criticized for promoting sustainability and eco-friendly travel since it’s public knowledge that he often takes trips using private jets.

One commenter called Harry out a few years back, saying, “Seems this hypocrite has found himself yet another bandwagon. He travels more than most and not by eco-friendly transport, yet has the audacity to preach to everyone else. Lives in a large mansion within extensive grounds that use more than a fair share of resources, and his wife never wears the same outfit twice. The real purpose of Travalyst is to make money under the smokescreen of a trendy topic he thinks raises his popularity.”

Another added, “Maybe H&M and all of the rest of the self-proclaimed environmentally-friendly celebrities stop jetting all over the place polluting the atmosphere; living in humongous homes (10,000+ square feet for 4 people???); have multiple homes all over the country/world, probably watering their ‘lush,’ over-landscaped properties while everyone else is subject to water restrictions due to drought-like conditions! Why can’t H&M just do the oh-so-important things that they do without always trying to create this over-the-top proclamation to the WORLD about how wonderfully altruistic and sacrificing they are!”

However, reactions to his latest speech were mostly positive, with fans writing, “Every time I see Prince Harry I feel more and more proud,” “Fantastic sense of humor,” and “Love him.”

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