It has emerged that Sally Davey, the CEO of Prince Harry’s eco-tourism non-profit Travalyst that he helped to set up, is stepping down from her role later this year
Prince Harry has been dealt another blow after a ‘crucial’ staff member at one of his beloved projects is quitting.
It has emerged that Sally Davey is stepping down from her role as chief executive of Travalyst – the non-profit eco-tourism organisation, which the Duke of Sussex helped to set up in 2019. In a statement, she said that she had “reached a point in my journey where I know I need to give more time back to my family, and to myself”.
She also said of Harry: “I will always be grateful for your support, including as my confidant and guide during this personal decision to step back. I’m proud of what we’ve built together. And while I’ll be stepping down as CEO, I remain as committed as ever to Travalyst’s mission.”
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A source told the Daily Mail that Sally’s departure would be a “huge blow” to Travalyst, as she had been “crucial in its development”.
London-based non-profit Travalyst was launched by Harry in 2019 when he and his wife Meghan Markle were still working royals. It aimed to make tourism and travel more eco-friendly and sustainable by bringing major travel firms such as TripAdvisor and Skyscanner together.
Harry was the face of the project, despite admitting to taking private jets. While launching Travalyst five years ago in Amsterdam, the prince said “no one is perfect” and “we can all do better” when it comes to tackling environmental issues.
He added: “I came here by commercial. I spend 99 per cent of my life travelling the world by commercial. Occasionally, there needs to be an opportunity based on a unique circumstance to ensure my family are safe, and it’s genuinely as simple as that.”
Sally’s departure comes amid the Sussexes seemingly having a high turnover of staff for their new ventures.
Eyebrows were raised last year when Josh Kettler, a seasoned public relations professional, left his role after just weeks after he was reportedly hired to “guide him [Harry] through his next phase”.
However, speaking to US Weekly, Mr Kettler, who had previously been chief of staff and head of strategic partnerships at the communication platform Cognixion, revealed what it was really like working for Harry and Meghan – and told how he was “warmly welcomed” by both of them and their Archewell team.
He added: “They are dedicated and hardworking. It was impressive to witness.” His comments came as a string of former and current employees spoke out in defence of Meghan after a report in the Hollywood Reporter labelled her “Duchess Difficult”.
Ben Browning, who had been head of content at Archewell Productions and left before his contract was up told the magazine that the atmosphere at the company was “positive and supportive,” while their current Global Press Secretary, Ashley Hansen, added the Sussexes “couldn’t be more supportive”.
She gushed that the Duke and Duchess paid special interest to her when she underwent surgery and had shown “the kind of concern and care a parent would express if it were their own child,” while sending her flowers and gifts to aid her recovery.
Meanwhile, Mandana Dayani, the former president of Archewell, also spoke to US Weekly, saying: “Part of the profound injustice of having to speak publicly on this in light of these endless and damaging narratives is that so much of the kindness, mentorship, and support that Prince Harry and Meghan share with others happens quietly behind closed doors.”
