Harry drops use of princely title as he returns to UK for final royal duties

Britain's Prince Harry on Wednesday asked to be introduced as simply "Harry" as he returned to the UK to attend a travel conference in Edinburgh as part of the final leg of his royal duties before he formally steps back as a frontline royal at the end of March.

The 35-year-old grandson of Queen Elizabeth II was introduced at the Travalyst conference as just “Harry” after he chose to drop any princely prefix as he prepares for his new financially independent role with wife Meghan Markle.

"He's made it clear that we are all just to call him Harry," said Ayesha Hazarika, the host of the conference.

Under the arrangement struck with Buckingham Palace, the couple retain their His and Her Royal Highness titles but have agreed not to actively use them.

The Duke of Sussex's move towards the use of just his first name, even though he officially remains a Prince as well as sixth in line to the British throne, is seen as his first major step towards his new life with wife Meghan and their nine-month-old son Archie based in North America.

“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 said in his speech to the eco-tourism summit.

The Travalyst coalition was founded by Harry last year along with travel industry brands including Booking.com, Skyscanner, Tripadvisor, Trip.com and Visa as a means to tackle the carbon footprint of the tourism and travel industry.

“We want to hear truths and perspectives from across the industry. 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,” said Harry, in reference to the goal of the conference.

It includes a new holiday scheme with a “scoring system” to encourage tourists to pick more environmentally-friendly flights.

The eco-summit marks the start of a busy few weeks for Harry and Markle as they conclude a string of final royal engagements ahead of the 31 March deadline, when they stop representing the 93-year-old monarch in any formal capacity.

On Friday, Harry is due to visit the famous music studios at Abbey Road in north London, where the Beatles recorded 11 of their 13 albums, to meet the singer Jon Bon Jovi and the Invictus Games Choir, who are recording a single for charity.

Meghan Markle, his 38-year-old former actress wife, is expected to join him in the UK next week from Canada, where the couple have been staying while the formalities around their royal split were concluded after they announced a step back as senior royals at the start of the year.

Meanwhile, Harry retains his military ranks of Major, Lieutenant Commander and Squadron Leader even though he would not perform any official duties associated with these roles.

The positions will remain unfilled during an agreed 12-month trial period for the transition, leaving an option open for him to resume those roles if he chooses to at the end of the transition period.

A statement on the couple's website confirmed that Harry and Meghan will refresh their digital channels for the “next exciting phase” in their lives as they give up the use of the Sussex Royal brand.

“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will become privately funded members of The Royal Family with permission to earn their own income and the ability to pursue their own private charitable interests,” the statement said.