The Duke of Sussex has asked to simply be addressed as Harry during his first public engagement since returning to the UK.

He is currently in Edinburgh to launch an event for his new ecotourism company Travalyst.

Harry flew to Canada on 20 January to be with wife Meghan and son Archie following a summit with the Queen.

She agreed they could step back from royal duties and become more financially independent from 31 March.

The outing for Prince Harry is the first of seven engagements he and Meghan will carry out over the next few weeks.


The conference's host, Ayesha Hazarika, introduced the duke by saying: "He's made it clear that we are all just to call him Harry so ladies and gentlemen please give a big, warm Scottish welcome to Harry."

Addressing attendees at the Travalyst event, the duke said Scotland was at the forefront of making air travel greener.

"We want to hear truths and perspectives from across the industry," he said.

"We don't need to reinvent the wheel, a lot of great work has already been done. But our research again shows that many of these endeavours have failed to reach the conscientiousness of consumers."

Image: Prince Harry spoke at a sustainable tourism summit in Edinburgh

Image: Harry was hugged during the event

He added: "Scotland is one of the fastest growing tourism destinations worldwide and it's at the forefront of a more sustainable approach, which is why your insight into these issues is so incredibly valuable."

Harry urged travel bosses to act to prevent the "world's most beautiful" destinations being closed or destroyed and to stop "animals and wildlife being driven from their natural habitats".

:: Listen to the Behind the Headlines podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker

Communities are at risk of being overwhelmed and beaches being shut due to pollution, he added.

He said acting now would guard against a reduction in "tourism opportunities".

Image: The duke gave a thumbs up in Edinburgh

Recently, the Duke of Sussex made clear that he is not satisfied with the arrangements being made to accommodate his young family's desire for a more independent life.

Last week, the palace released updates on the new working model for the Sussexes, saying: "The spring 2020 transition will take effect on 31 March.

"As there is no precedent for this new model of working and eventual financial independence, the Royal Family and the Sussexes have agreed to an initial 12-month review to ensure the arrangement works for all parties."

Image: Prince Harry and Meghan are stepping back from royal life

A palace spokesperson further clarified that they would not be using the word "royal" in any future charitable ventures.

That was swiftly followed by a post on the Sussex Royal website in which the couple made it clear they were unhappy with the arrangements and said there was "not any jurisdiction by the monarchy or Cabinet Office over the use of the word 'royal' overseas".

Analysis: Dialling down the heirs and graces

By royal correspondent Rhiannon Mills

Harry has always wanted to be just like one of us. He's been approachable and always had that kind of personal touch that puts members of the public at ease.

But this first event since he returned from Canada seemed to be another step towards dialling down the heirs and graces as he prepares to step away from royal life.

Twice on stage, we heard from other contributors at the travel conference how he just wanted to be called Harry, so any references to his royal highness went out the window.

But his "call me Harry" attitude did seem at odds with some of the other trappings that still come with being the Queen's grandson, and the treatment that he has come to expect.

I was staying in the same hotel as Harry and overheard his security team making intricate plans to get him out of the hotel to the conference centre which was only a few hundreds yards away. They wanted to make sure photographers couldn't get any pictures of him arriving at the event.

An "arrival shot" in the past would probably have been facilitated by the palace, but not this time, with no palace press officers at the event.

I suspect he may have been annoyed at the photographs taken of him the night before at Edinburgh train station where he looked far from happy. But it also shows that with his desire to have a normal life away from royal duties also come expectations that, at times, he and his family will still get the royal treatment.