Prince Harry jokingly reprimanded members of the audience for recording him on their phones as he delivered a surprise keynote speech in London, ahead of a planned European trip with his wife, Meghan.
The Duke of Sussex, 42, was speaking at the Wanderlust Reader Travel Awards on behalf of Travalyst, the non-profit initiative he founded. The coalition works to promote sustainability across travel and tourism.
During the unannounced address at the Old Royal Naval College on Thursday, Harry discussed responsible travel and the origins of Travalyst.
However, shortly after stepping onto the stage, he turned his attention to the crowd members filming and photographing him.
“All I can see is phones,” he said, prompting loud laughter from the audience.
Appearing to refer to the speaker who had preceded him, he added: “You guys, literally he just talked about it.”
Harry continued: “I founded Travalyst in 2019 because I believe that an industry built on extraordinary places of our world has both a responsibility and a business imperative to protect them.”
He later joined the winners of the award for the “most desirable country for sustainability”, which went to Germany.
The Duke of Sussex, 42, delivered his surprise address at the Wanderlust Reader Travel Awards on Thursday
Harry later posed with the winners of the award for the “most desirable country for sustainability”, presented to Germany
Speaking after the ceremony, he said: “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.”
The surprise appearance came three days after Harry was seen at a luxury hotel in New York.
The Duke was photographed at what appeared to be a business meeting at the Lotte New York Palace hotel in Manhattan.
He is understood to have held a “number of meetings” in the city on Monday before returning to the UK.
The appearance comes during a busy period for Harry, who is due to travel to Europe with Meghan on Tuesday.
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The trip is expected to mark the first time the couple have appeared in public since reports that Meghan’s father, Thomas Markle Sr, had been reported to police in the Philippines and to the FBI over a collection of suspected child abuse images.
Harry and Meghan are scheduled to visit Brussels, Belgium, where they will unveil a new version of the Lost Screen Memorial. The art installation honours children who have died after experiencing harm online.
The memorial consists of 50 phones, each displaying a lock-screen image of a child who died after being exposed to the harmful effects of social media.
The surprise appearance at the awards came three days after Harry was seen at a luxury hotel in New York
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are scheduled to travel to Brussels on Tuesday, pictured during a visit to Nottingham on October 15
The Duke and Duchess will also speak about protecting children online, while Harry is due to take part in a panel discussion titled “Beyond Promises: Building a Digital Future That Works for Children”.
During the short trip, Harry and Meghan will hear speeches from European Parliament president Roberta Metsola and MEP Antonio Lopez-Isturiz, the first vice-chairman of the Child Rights Intergroup, before giving an address of their own.
The couple will have between 15 and 20 minutes for their rare joint speech, which will focus on the importance of children’s digital safety.
The public appearance is likely to attract international attention after Meghan’s estranged father, Thomas Markle Sr, became the subject of an international investigation into alleged child sexual abuse images.
The Philippine National Police has said that videos allegedly showing child sexual abuse and exploitation were among files found in four storage boxes believed to have belonged to Mr Markle Sr. He was reported by his son, Thomas Markle Jr, last month.
Major General Wilson Asueta of the Philippine National Police said it had not yet been confirmed who owned the devices. The items reportedly included nine mobile phones, three memory cards, five hard drives and a camera.
The 82-year-old was reported to police in the Philippines and to the FBI last month by Mr Markle Jr, who handed over alleged child abuse images he said he had found among his father’s belongings in Cebu City.
A second collection was reportedly found last Friday in a storage unit that Thomas Markle Sr is said to have rented near his former home in Rosarito, Mexico, during a raid by Mexican police.
Reports have since claimed that Mr Markle Sr was moved to a Florida care home for people with dementia, described as a specialist “memory care” facility.
Meghan was left “deeply distressed” by the allegations. She said she had received a letter seven years ago through the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection containing “troubling and disturbing allegations” about her father, but was assured they were being investigated.
She has said she ended contact with her father for one reason: to protect her children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five.