Prince Harry remains committed to his environmental tourism initiative, Travalyst.
Speculation that the British royal, 38, was parting ways with the company began after Chief Executive Officer Sally Davey issued a press release in May that announced a new “phase of growth” for the company and welcomed new board members without a mention of Harry.
“Today we formally mark the end of Travalyst’s pilot phase with the appointment of a new Board to govern and guide us on our journey ahead to delivering major positive and system-changing impact,” the May release explained. “The Board is composed of individuals with world-class expertise in impact, systems change, not-for-profit governance, advocacy, and campaigning for a just and sustainable world.”
The British royal founded the green travel initiative in 2019, which Davey shared in a statement to PEOPLE makes him an “invaluable part” of the company.
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Prince Harry Reveals 7-Year-Old Boy Inspired His Green Travel Initiative: ‘He Tugged on My Shirt’
“Prince Harry is the founder of Travalyst and remains an invaluable part of this organization,” Davey said Monday. “His role has not changed in any way, and he is regularly involved in strategic discussions and decisions alongside our partners and Board.”
The Duke of Sussex’s name also remains listed on the company’s website as a founder and patron.
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The company was developed with a mission to help “both travelers and travel companies make better, greener choices,” according to its website.
Although the company wasn’t established until 2019, the prince said he first thought of the idea after a 2012 visit to a coral reef replanting project in the Caribbean in which he was traveling on behalf of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth. The trip bought an unexpected interaction with a 7-year-old boy. The meeting “touched on a powerful truth,” Harry said.
“I had a 7-year-old come up to me, tug my shirt, and say with such conviction: ‘Because of your country, my country’s coral reef is dying,'” he explained in a September 2019 speech.
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“This boy, despite his age, had touched on a powerful truth. He already understood that the environmental damage caused to the reef was created by the actions of people outside of his country. And he was absolutely spot on,” he added. “His words deeply affected me because they revealed the full impact outsiders can have on a community without even realizing it.”
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Source: HIS Education