Prince Harry jokingly told off an audience for filming him on their phones as he gave a surprise keynote speech in London, ahead of a planned trip to Europe with his wife Meghan.
The Duke of Sussex, 42, was speaking at the Wanderlust Reader Travel Awards on behalf of his non-profit initiative Travalyst, a coalition which focuses on the sustainability of travel itself, and the travel industry.
During his speech at the Old Royal Naval College on Thursday, which was not pre-announced, he discussed sustainable travel and his founding of the initiative.
But after first taking to the stage, Prince Harry poked fun at those gathered for filming and taking pictures of him.
He said, to raucous laughter: 'All I can see is phones.'
Appearing to reference the speaker before him, he added: 'You guys, literally he just talked about it.'
Harry then went on: 'I founded Travalyst in 2019 because I believe that an industry built on extraordinary places of our world has both a responsibility and a business imperative to protect them.'
He later posed with the award winners for the 'most desirable country for sustainability' – Germany.
The Duke of Sussex, 42, was speaking at the Wanderlust Reader Travel Awards on Thursday
He later posed with the award winners for the 'most desirable country for sustainability' - Germany
Speaking after, he said: 'I started Travalyst because I believe deeply in travel as a force for good.
'But if tourism stops working for the people who call these destinations home, eventually it stops working for everyone.
'By collaborating as an industry, we can ensure nature survives and destinations thrive, while travel remains a source of prosperity, connection and exploration for generations to come.'
The surprise appearance came just three days after he was spotted at a luxury hotel in New York.
Prince Harry was seen in what appeared to be a business meeting at Lotte New York Palace hotel in Manhattan.
It's understood he had a 'number of meetings' in the city on Monday, before flying back to the UK.
It means a busy few days for the Duke, who is due to visit Europe with his wife on Tuesday.
It is expected to be the first time the pair will have been seen in public since Thomas Markle Sr was reported to police in the Philippines and the FBI over a haul of suspected child abuse images.
Harry and Meghan are scheduled to take a trip to Brussels, Belgium, where they will unveil the new version of the Lost Screen Memorial, an art installation which honours children who have died after being subjected to harm online.
It is made up of 50 phones, each with a lock screen with a picture of a child who died after being exposed to the harmful side of social media.
The surprise appearance at the awards (pictured) came just three days after he was spotted at a luxury hotel in New York
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are scheduled to travel to Brussels on Tuesday (pictured during a visit to Nottingham on October 15)
The Duke and Duchess will also give a speech about protecting children's safety, while Harry will also join a panel discussion titled 'Beyond Promises: Building a Digital Future That Works for Children'.
The brief trip abroad will see Harry and Meghan listen to addresses by European Parliament president Roberta Metsola and MEP Antonio Lopez-Isturiz, the first vice-chairman of the Child Rights Intergroup, before delivering their own speech.
The Sussexes will have between 15 and 20 minutes for their rare dual-address, which they will use to speak about the importance of children's digital safety.
The public appearance is bound to draw attention around the world after Meghan's estranged father, Thomas Markle Sr, became the subject of an international probe into alleged child sex images.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) has said videos of alleged child sexual abuse and exploitation were among files found in four storage boxes that allegedly belonged to Mr Markle Sr, after he was reported by his son Thomas Markle Jr last month.
Major General Wilson Asueta of the PNP said it had yet to be confirmed who owned the devices, which included nine mobile phones, three memory cards, five hard drives and a camera.
The 82-year-old was reported to police in the Philippines and the FBI last month by Mr Markle Jr, who handed over a haul of alleged child abuse images he said he found in his father's belongings in Cebu City.
A second hoard was discovered last Friday in a storage unit Thomas Markle Sr is said to have rented near his former home in Rosarito, Mexico, during a raid by Mexican police.
Reports have since claimed Mr Markle Sr was moved into a care home for dementia patients in Florida, described as a specialist 'memory care' facility.
Meghan was left 'deeply distressed' at the allegations and revealed she was sent a letter via the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection seven years ago which made 'troubling and disturbing allegations' about her father, but that she was given assurances these were being investigated.
She said that she cut off contact with her father for one reason: to protect her children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five.
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