The journalist who introduced the Duke of Sussex as ‘just Harry’ at an Edinburgh conference yesterday has said she thinks he ‘doesn’t need a title to be a big deal.’
Former Labour advisor Ayesha Hazarika told crowds at the sustainable travel event in the Scottish capital yesterday: ‘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.’
Ms Hazarika said he was ‘warm and relaxed’ and ‘didn’t look like a man wracked with anxiety’ about the debate over his and Meghan’s titles after their decision to step down as working royals.
She told Good Morning Britain today: ‘He was very warm, relaxed and seemed very focus on the reason he was up there.
‘He was pretty chilled out. One thing I did notice was that he was very informal. He wandered around very freely with all the other delegates.
‘I got the impression he is very focused on what he wants to do. He was pretty defiant as well. I didn’t sense that he thinks ‘this has all been a nightmare, I’m going to hide away.
‘From the reaction he got and the way he conducted himself, he clearly doesn’t need a title to be a big deal.’
Journalist Ayesha Hazarika, who introduced the Duke of Sussex as ‘just Harry’ at an Edinburgh conference yesterday, has said she thinks he ‘doesn’t need a title to be a big deal.’
Ms Hazarika (pictured with Harry yesterday) said he was ‘warm and relaxed’ and ‘didn’t look like a man wracked with anxiety’ about the debate over his and Meghan’s titles after their decision to step down as working royals
Harry flew on a commercial flight from his new home in Canada before boarding an LNER train from London to Edinburgh to attend yesterday’s Travalyst conference.
The 35-year-old was there for a ‘working summit’ with delegates of the new Edinburgh-based travel firm, which plans to create a system where users can track their carbon emissions.
Ms Hazarika explained today: ‘I was a bit nervous about how to introduce him. It’s been a huge fandangle over his title.
‘I said ‘what do you call him?’ and they said just call him Harry.’
She added that ‘while there are those who don’t like him’, Meghan and Harry ‘have a huge platform’.
Presenter Susanna Reid retorted: ‘I’m not sure it’s about not liking them. But Harry is talking about sustainable travel, so rather than flying in why wouldn’t you skype into the conference?’
Prince Harry, 35, is pictured addressing delegates at the Travalyst conference in Edinburgh yesterday
The journalist replied: ‘First of all the conference is about four pillars of travel, not just aviation.
Host Ayesha Hazarika, a former Labour adviser and broadcaster, tweeted a picture of her with Harry today
‘Yes he flew here from Canada, but he got the train up.
‘We are a generation where we fly, we fly all over the world to see our loved ones, for work. That is not really going to change all that much.
‘The question is how do we mitigate that?’
Susanna then probed whether Harry had mentioned the debacle over his and Meghan’s royal title.
But Ms Hazarika replied simply: ‘No, not at all.’
She added: ‘There were tonnes of experts from the travel industry there, they were just pleased to see him.
‘He asked us just to call him Harry. He wanted to be accessible, informal and for people to come and chat to him.
‘It was probably a nod to what you’re talking about, but with the reaction he got, the way he conducted himself, he clearly doesn’t need a title to be a big deal.’
Meghan and Harry will cease to be working royals from March 31 or ‘Megxit’ as it has become known.
They released a statement on the use of their branding ‘Sussex Royal’ after questions were raised over whether they could continue to use it after stepping down.
But their statement, branded ‘rude to the Queen’ by Meghan’s estranged father Thomas Markle and royal experts alike, claimed the monarchy has ‘no jurisdiction’ over the use of the term ‘royal’ outside of the UK.
Meghan and Harry (seen together in London in January) will cease to be working royals from March 31 or ‘Megxit’ as it has become known