The embarrassing BBC blunder occurred around 11.30am on Tuesday when royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell discussed Meghan Markle’s and Prince Harry’s new “Travalyst” initiative aimed at encouraging more environmentally friendly travel. A picture of the royal couple’s waxworks was displayed on a screen behind Mr Witchell as viewers were quick to notice and mock the Broadcasting Corporation on Twitter. One Twitter user accused the BBC of being “naughty”.

She wrote: “That was very naughty BBC News Channel to use the Madame Tussauds wax models of Harry and Meghan during Nicholas Witchell’s report about Prince Harry’s sustainable tourism scheme.”

Another one wrote: “BBC News have to laugh. Serious discussion about Harry and Meghan’s use of private planes…the background picture is of the waxworks of them.”

And another: “BBC News Nicholas Witchell talking about Meghan and Harry with what looks like a waxwork model in background!!”

The “serious” report was to highlight Prince Harry’s latest initiative focussed on sustainable travelling. 

The 34-year-old Prince travelled to Amsterdam on a commercial flight to launch the Travalyst partnership which is backed by some of the biggest companies in the travel industry, including Booking.com, Ctrip, Skyscanner, TripAdvisor and Visa.

We can all do better. And while no one is perfect, we are all responsible for our own individual impact

Prince Harry

The new platform was created to promote sustainable travel by supporting local communities, protecting wildlife, tackling climate change and alleviating over-tourism.

The new project comes amid backlash after it was revealed he and Meghan Markle had flown on four private planes in 11 days.

Launching the initiative, Prince Harry said: “I want to start with a little bit of background as to specifically why I’m here today, because as you may know, I am not a tourism or business expert, but through my travels I have observed the unique relationship between community and environment – and have noticed something alarming.

“There wasn’t the symbiosis or connection there needed to be and I wanted to understand why. I am one of those people fortunate enough to have a platform and I want to use it to tackle hard problems, in the hope of finding solutions.

“Over the years I’ve had the distinct privilege of working around the globe representing my Grandmother, The Queen, throughout the Commonwealth and beyond. This role has given me a unique perspective on the issues the world faces, and an opportunity to meet a diverse range of communities—to hear them describe their problems as well as their ideas for solutions.

“For years I’ve been listening and learning. I never presume to have all the answers, but I do feel impassioned to help in any way that I can. Sometimes that means connecting people and making them aware of ideas that I’ve seen succeed in other places. Other times it means bringing a problem home and working it through with true experts, who have dedicated their lives to protecting our planet, or with influential people who can give time and/or money in big or small ways. 

“One thing I’ve learned, however, again and again, is that oftentimes the best solution comes from within – from the local community members who live and breathe it every day.

“There is one moment that stands out in my memory from a trip I made back in 2012 while representing my Grandmother in the Caribbean. As I walked to the boat to observe a coral reef replanting project, I had a seven-year-old come up to me, tug my shirt, and say with such conviction: “Because of your country, my country’s coral reef is dying.”

“This boy, despite his age, had touched on a powerful truth. He already understood that the environmental damage caused to the reef was created by the actions of people outside of his country. And he was absolutely spot on.”

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He added: “Over the last ten years, as I have developed my work in conservation, I have learned so much from the experiences I’ve had and the people I’ve met in places like Botswana and the Caribbean, Nepal and New Zealand.

“What is clear across this vast landscape is that our world faces environmental challenges of unprecedented scope and scale. From deforestation and the loss of biodiversity, to ocean plastics and poaching, the problems can sometimes seem too big to fix. 

“These human-caused challenges often need a giant system shift to make a significant enough impact. And that is what this partnership is here to try and do. But just because it is such a massive undertaking, doesn’t mean we can’t all play our part. Sometimes the scale of the conservation crisis feels overwhelming and that individual actions can’t make a difference.

“I’ve certainly felt that – but I’ve learned that we cannot dismiss the idea of trying to do something, just because we can’t do everything. We can all do better. And while no one is perfect, we are all responsible for our own individual impact; the question is what we do to balance it out.”

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