Prince Harry has tried his hand at acting in a skit filmed for his New Zealand travel project, which will see tourists “rated” for their sustainable behaviour.
The Duke of Sussex featured in a five-minute advert, published on the YouTube page of his non-profit company Travalyst, to promote the new eco-friendly travel scheme.
The clip shows Harry jogging through a park before being chased by a group of “ratings agents”, played by Kiwi actors Rhys Darby, Dave Fane and Rena Owen.
Harry is accused of dropping a sweet wrapper while on a trip to New Zealand in 2018 – giving him a dismal environmental “rating” of just 3 out of 100. But the agents praise him for turning off the tap while brushing his teeth and using one towel out of 12 provided by his hotel.
The duke, dressed in a grey t-shirt bearing the words “GIRL DAD”, says he doesn’t remember dropping the sweet wrapper, to which Darby responds: “It might have been a confusing time, it was windy.”
Harry responds: “I don’t think it was confusing. It was an incredible time. We had an amazing time in New Zealand. It’s beautiful.”
Later on, Darby reveals that he had actually intended to rank popstar Harry Styles instead as viewers are directed to the Travalyst website for full details of the new project.
The Duke first teased details of the project in an interview with Maori broadcaster Te Ao with Moana on Monday.
He said: “Every year more and more of us want better options for sustainable travel.
“For the first time Travalyst is striving to make that a reality for everybody who wants to support local communities through kaitiaki (“guardianship”) and looking after nature and wildlife.”
He added: “For our first campaign we are looking to flip the script. We are always being asked for our feedback on our trips and experiences – but what would happen if our holiday rated us?”
The duke said he had learned about the concept of kaitiakitanga (“protecting the environment”) and manaakitanga (“extending love and compassion”) while travelling in New Zealand.
The project will work with top travel brands, including Skyscanner and Google, to collect and display fight emissions data – allowing travellers to make more sustainable decisions.
Harry is known to love New Zealand and his popularity exploded in the country following a visit in 2015. He returned with wife Meghan Markle in 2018 and the pair were reported to be considering settling in the country after stepping down from their royal duties in January 2020, according to the Guardian.
Presenter Moana Maniapoto said she hoped the duke’s message would strengthen the relationship between “MÄori and the Crown”.
“It's interesting to hear someone who's a royal speak about MÄori values, given our history but also given the current debates about having MÄori values at the forefront of decision making and relationships,” she said.
“We are open to talking to anyone… anything that particularly resonates with our values as MÄori - whether we agree or not.
“We talk about the Crown every week. I'm hoping that we will have an interview further down the track to tease out that relationship between MÄori and the Crown.”
