BFF-34 Just call me Harry, prince says as royal exit looms

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BFF-34

BRITAIN-ROYALS

Just call me Harry, prince says as royal exit looms

EDINBURGH, Feb 26, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Prince Harry asked to be introduced
as just “Harry” at an event on Wednesday, kicking off a final round of public
engagements before he and wife Meghan step back from their royal duties.

The Duke of Sussex, a grandson of Queen Elizabeth II, will stop using “His
Royal Highness” from the end of March when the couple stop being working
royals.

But at a conference in Edinburgh for his sustainable tourism project
Travalyst, it emerged he was already adopting a more informal approach.

“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,” host Ayesha
Hazarika said in her introduction.

The 35-year-old prince has faced accusations of hypocrisy for using
private planes while advocating action to combat global warming but he
insists he mostly travels via commercial flights.

He used his remarks in Edinburgh to warn of the risks of huge increases in
tourists at key locations, which he said could cause pollution, overwhelm
local communities and drive out wildlife.

As sixth in line to the throne, Harry’s announcement in January that he
and his wife wanted to step back from their royal positions rocked the
monarchy.

The pair revealed plans to split their time between Britain and Canada,
after complaining about media intrusion and expressing a desire to be
financially independent.

Harry arrived in Edinburgh by train on Tuesday evening without Meghan or
their baby son Archie.

On Friday, he will be in London to meet US rock singer Jon Bon Jovi, who
is recording a special song for the prince’s Invictus Game Foundation for
military veterans.

They will meet at Abbey Road Studios, where The Beatles recorded most of
their albums and where Bon Jovi is also recording his song with a choir made
up of wounded veterans and serving personnel.

In a BBC interview this week about the event, the singer quipped that
following his exit from frontline royal life, Harry should be known as “the
artist formerly known as Prince”.

The musician Prince took this title after eschewing his name in favour of
a symbol.

Harry and Meghan will join the queen on March 9 for a Commonwealth Day
service at Westminster Abbey, which is expected to be their last official
appearance as working royals.

BSS/AFP/BZC/2035HRS