Prince Harry unveiled Travalyst in 2019 with an ambitious promise: to help reshape the travel industry and make global tourism more sustainable. But the launch quickly drew scrutiny, with critics accusing Harry and Meghan of environmental double standards over their reported use of private jets.
At the time, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were said to have taken four private flights in just 11 days, prompting a wave of criticism about the couple’s carbon footprint.
Harry, the younger son of King Charles, pushed back by acknowledging that “no one is perfect” and adding that “we can all do better.”
The question now is whether that explanation would satisfy Graham Miller, the newly appointed director of Travalyst.
Miller, it can be revealed, has previously taken a sharply critical view of frequent flyers, even likening their behaviour to people who break the law by driving while drunk.
“There was a time when mentioning on a Monday that you’d just flown back from Milan or New York made you sound sophisticated. Now it’s like boasting that you drank five pints and drove home,” he said in 2020, while working as a lecturer at the University of Surrey.
In July 2019, Harry had framed sustainable travel as a matter of personal responsibility, saying: “Every choice, every footprint, every action makes a difference.”
Yet only a month later, the prince faced backlash after travelling by private jet to Nice for a stay with Sir Elton John, reigniting debate over celebrity travel, climate responsibility and the mission behind Travalyst.
When Prince Harry launched eco-firm Travalyst in 2019 to make tourism more environmentally friendly, he and his wife Meghan were called hypocrites
But would Harry’s words wash with Travalyst’s newly appointed director Graham Miller? I can disclose that he has expressed contempt for frequent flyers
He defended himself, saying: ‘Occasionally there needs to be an opportunity based on a unique circumstance to ensure that my family are safe.’
Three years later, the duke told the United Nations that climate change was ‘wreaking havoc on our planet’.
But eyebrows were raised again a year later in 2023 when Harry and Meghan took a 40-minute flight from an airstrip near their California mansion to watch pop star Katy Perry perform in Las Vegas.
And that year they flew 2,000 miles from New Jersey to the exclusive Caribbean island of Canouan in a Falcon 7X for a holiday, later flying in the same aircraft to Atlanta, Georgia.
Dame Prue Leith says she has lost her golden touch since leaving The Great British Bake Off.
‘Yesterday, I had a whole afternoon free, which I haven’t had for ages, and I made some disastrous buns,’ Prue, 86, tells me.
‘People think I’m the best cook or the best baker in the world, and I’m absolutely not. Do you know why my buns were disastrous?
‘It was because those spices had been sitting in my cupboard for ages. Not just months, but years. I cook a lot with spice and out they came, and they had no flavour.’
Heartache for Midwife Helen
Call The Midwife star Helen George broke into tears as she spoke about her heartache following the end of her whirlwind romance with businessman Dan Innes.
The actress, 42, says: ‘There’s been voice notes, there’s been tears. I’ve been going through some personal things. It’s been pretty s***.’
Asked on the Mystic Mates podcast what was weighing on her mind, she replies: ‘Recent events in my love life.’
Earlier this month, it emerged Helen’s relationship had come to an end after Dan was seen moving his belongings out of their west London home – having moved in together last August.
Shortly afterwards, the mother of two shared a cryptic social media post about ‘disrespect’.
Baby on the menu for Marco’s boy Luciano
Marco Pierre White’s eldest son, Luciano, is engaged to Stephanie Beard, the founder of clothing brand Silked London. But could she be designing a maternity wedding dress for her big day – as she’s revealed she’s expecting their first child?
Stephanie, 35, whose designs have been worn by stars including Eva Longoria and Cat Deeley, uploaded this photo online showing off her baby bump in a black lace cover-up.
It’s some happy news for Luciano, 32, whose father’s Surrey restaurant was closed down last year, owing £100,000 to the taxman.
Celebrated chef Marco Pierre White and his eldest son Luciano
Challenge Anneka? No, it’s Madonna at the World Cup
The bizarre spectacle of Madonna entering the stadium for thehalf-time show at the World Cup final in a dune buggy flanked by two former Brazilian football stars left many spectators bemused.
But TV presenter Anneka Rice, who drove a similar vehicle in the 1980s hit show Challenge Anneka, was convinced she knew where the Queen of Pop got the idea.
‘Bloody hell!’ exclaimed the 67-year-old who was born two months after the American singer. ‘I’m exactly the same age as Madonna and I look like her grandmother. And she’s nicked my buggy…’
BBC star Sophie Raworth has revealed her mother Jenny is suffering from the same rare brain disorder as pop legend Billy Joel. Jenny, 84, a former florist and model, is battling bowel cancer as well as normal pressure hydrocephalus – a condition caused by a build-up of spinal fluid which can put pressure on the brain and affect movement. ‘It’s the same thing Billy Joel has,’ Sophie, 58, tells Saga magazine. ‘Your spinal fluid doesn’t drain and presses on your brain. It affects your movement, so mum can’t move, she’s in a wheelchair, which is really hard because she was always so active. But she’s still completely with it.’
Wills’ pal in Land Rover getaway
Some newlyweds leave the church in a limousine or a vintage car.
But for Prince William and Catherine’s old friend Bryony Daniels, a battered Land Rover does the job just as well.
Bryony, 43, exchanged vows with Adair Williams, 42, nephew of the Duke of Sutherland, on the Strathvaich Estate in Ross-shire, which is owned by her family.
Prince William with Bryony Daniels in St Andrews heading back to their shared student flat in the early 2000s
Bryony married the Duke of Sutherland’s nephew Adair Williams and their church getaway car was not a limousine or sports car, but a battered Land Rover
The bride, who wore a gold gown with an Elizabethan-style white ruff, says of their big day: ‘It was suitably blessed by the ever present Highland summertime rain.’
Bryony came to public attention when, as an undergraduate at St Andrews University, she regularly arrived at lectures with William.
Observers concluded they were witnessing the beginning of a royal romance.
Bryony was, in fact, playing the part of decoy, allowing William and Catherine to enjoy each other’s company away from prying eyes.
