Prince Harry stars in New Zealand advert for travel company Travalyst
Prince Harry has shown off his acting chops in a TV advert in which he is accused of littering and where Meghan’s nickname for him is heard.
Royals
Don't miss out on the headlines from Royals. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Prince Harry confuses Australia and New Zealand in a new ad for his travel company where he gets to show off his acting chops.
The royal, who is dad to 11-month-old baby Lilibet, wears a “Girl Dad” T-shirt in the campaign for Travalyst – with the ad even making a sly dig at Meghan Markle’s nickname for the duke, reported The Sun.
In the clip, Harry, 37, is seen jogging through a park before Flight of the Concords comedian Rhys Darby chases after him, yelling “Harry! Hazza! H!”
The moniker is Meghan’s nickname for Harry, with the duchess often referring to the Duke of Sussex by the initial.
When Darby, in character as a “rating agent,” finally catches up to the sixth in line to the throne he comments he hasn't run in a while.
“You know we actually invented jogging?” Darby says.
“The Australians?” replies Harry, perplexed.
“No, Aotearoa – New Zealand.”
“Oh sorry,” says Harry. “I know you guys hate that. Kia ora.”
The five-minute ad, filmed in California standing in for the nation, shows Harry accused of littering while on a trip to New Zealand in 2018.
The prince doesn’t react, with Darby then joking: “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.”
As the five-minute clip continues, the prince makes a number of references in Māori, including the common greeting “kia ora” and “kei te pai”, which means “I’m fine”.
The duke, who looks healthy and cheerful during the ad, flexes his funny bone as he chats with the comedians.
At one point, Darby’s rating agent tells him his visit four years ago was marked just three stars out of 100 – before Darby reveals he was actually meant to be ranking Harry Styles instead.
The video aims to direct Kiwis to the Travalyst website, where they’ll find a holiday rating tool.
The royal launched the not-for-profit firm in September 2019 in a bid to help tourists make more sustainable choices when travelling.
In a statement, Prince Harry said: “In a world where we’re tasked with rating so many things, we’re now asking: what if your destination rated you?
“Starting in beautiful Aotearoa New Zealand, we’re launching our first campaign.
“There is a well-known Māori proverb: Ehara take toa I te toa takitahi, ēngari he toa takitini (success is not the work of an individual, but the work of many) – we invite you to be a part of our many.”
Harry visited New Zealand in 2015, when he learned traditional dance the haka in just 20 minutes and recited a speech in Māori.
This story first appeared in The Sun and is reproduced with permission.
Originally published as Prince Harry stars in New Zealand advert for travel company Travalyst
How Meghan’s shocker of a year played out
She is the ultimate survivor, able to bounce back from most reputational disasters. But 2024 could well go down as the year Meghan Markle will want to forget.
Radiant royals attend Christmas Day celebrations
More than 40 royal family members attended traditional Christmas Day celebrations after a challenging 12 months, with one notable absence. See the photos.