Prince Harry has been accused of “appropriating” Maori culture over his appearance in an advert to promote his eco-friendly travel firm, Travalyst.
The Duke of Sussex, outfitted in a “Girl Dad” t-shirt and Apple Airpod headphones, appeared in the five-minute video skit, published on the Travalyst YouTube page. He was shown jogging through what was meant to be “New Zealand woodland”, filmed in California.
Suddenly, he was accosted by “rating agent” Rhys Darby, who accused him of dropping a candy wrapper four years earlier on a trip to the country with his wife, Meghan Markle.
The duke also offered up several phrases in Te Reo Maori as he conversed in the video with Star Wars actress Rena Owen, who pulled up in a van to check on the "rating" agents.
When asked how he is, Prince Harry says in Maori, “Kei te pai" ["I am fine"] and acknowledges the rating “has got me thinking”.
The promo for Travalyst, launched by Prince Harry in 2019, sought to encourage New Zealanders to think of sustainability when planning their holidays.
"While travellers have long been able to rate their holiday stay, Travalyst is now asking: How would your holiday rate you?" a release on the company's website stated, with New Zealanders now having access to a travel rating tool.
As he launched his campaign on Maori Television's current affairs programme Te Ao with Moana, Queen Elizabeth II’s grandson described New Zealand as a country of “sustainability pioneers”.
However, on Twitter, some royal fans were not amused, as they accused Prince Harry of appropriating Maori culture to promote his eco-firm.
Some tweeps slammed the skit as “ridiculous”.
Other comments were of a more sardonic nature.
TV talk show host Piers Morgan also slammed Prince Harry as a "terrible actor" and a "hypocrite".
"That's the privacy shy Prince Harry on TV again making his acting debut in a ridiculous New Zealand advert for his eco-friendly non profit. Harry clearly is not just a terrible actor, he's also a terrible hypocrite. A guy who constantly preaches about the environment but uses private jets like I use black cabs. This is like Adele lecturing us about how not to be a diva", he concluded on Piers Morgan Uncensored.