Has Prince Harry Been Dumped by His Own Eco-tourism Firm? Travalyst Excludes Ex-Royal From Board Announcement

A perplexing update from Travalyst, the eco-tourism firm founded by Prince Harry, led public relations experts to speculate if the Duke of Sussex was given the boot from his own company after he was noticeably absent from their updated board of directors, RadarOnline.com has learned.

The London-based travel firm was established in 2019 while Harry was a full-time working Royal alongside his wife, Meghan Markle.

A lot transpired in the four years since he started Travalyst — and after three years of being the face of the brand, it appeared Harry's role with the eco-tourism venture was considerably scaled back.

According to Travalyst's website, the firm is a "not-for-profit organization which seeks to catalyze sustainability within the tourism industry."

Ironically, Harry utilized private jets, a major carbon emissions contributor, as he traveled the globe to promote the eco-tourism firm's mission. Apparently, the firm's latest push on sustainable travel included dropping the frequent flyer from its board of directors.

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Back in May, the Duke of Sussex was not mentioned in Travalyst's announcement on the firm's transitional "pilot phase" which would see five new board members touting "world-class expertise."

The announcement was made eight days after Harry and Meghan claimed they were involved in a "near-catastrophic" car chase with the paparazzi after leaving the Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Awards in New York City.

The NYPD and New Yorkers alike slammed the couple as critics noted Manhattan's infrastructure wasn't ideal for high-speed chases. After the announcement, Harry is no longer featured front-and-center for Travalyst marketing.

While he was listed as "founder and patron" on the firm's website — and was said to be in routine contact with the Travalyst board and CEO — there was no mistaking a rift between the Duke and his tourism venture.

One public relations expert told the Daily Mail that they weren't surprised by the emerging dynamic — and labeled Harry a "lightning rod for negative PR."

Sean O'Meara, managing director of Essential Content, said, "this move to lower Harry's prominence as Travalyst enters a new phase of growth looks and feels strategic."

O'Meara elaborated that due to the overwhelmingly negative press about Prince Harry and Meghan, it was a wise business move to have him "rehabilitate and refresh his media profile" by taking a step back to give the partnerships center stage.

"Harry had become something of a lightning rod for negative PR which was harming perceptions of the organizations he was trying to support," O'Meara said as he noted the negatives of having a high-profile "brand ambassador."

The PR exec added that when an ambassador's "halo effect" is diminished by bad press, it is "significantly more difficult to attract attention and generate the required media coverage to build awareness."

This is just the latest hit to the Sussexes after they were dropped by Spotify following their $20 million deal.