The Duke of Sussex has used his first public appearance since it was revealed Meghan had suffered a miscarriage to say the birth of son Archie inspired him to help safeguard the planet.

Harry said things changed the moment he became a father and realised his son should not inherit a world that was “on fire” by the time he came of age.

The duke’s comments came during an online chat with executives from WaterBear Network, a new environmental streaming platform, where he suggested people could be like raindrops nourishing the parched ground.

In a separate event, Harry praised the work of his mother tackling the stigma around HIV and highlighted the importance of testing, as he marked World Aids Day by sending a message of support to the Terence Higgins Trust.

During the online video call with Ellen Windemuth, WaterBear’s chief executive officer and its head of strategy Sam Sutaria, the duke was asked if he always had an affinity for the natural world.

“I think I’ve always been that way,” he replied, adding: “But the moment you become a father, everything really does change because then you start to realise – well, what is the point in bringing a new person into this world when they get to your age and it’s on fire.

“We can’t steal their future, we really can’t – that’s not the role, that’s not the job we’re here for.”

Speaking in his role as president of the conservation NGO African Parks, he added: “I’ve always believed that hopefully we can leave the world in a better place than when we found it.

“So I think we really need to take a moment and think ‘how do we get what we need and have our desire fulfilled, without taking from our children and generations to come’.”

Last week, Meghan revealed in a heartfelt article for the New York Times how the couple had lost their second child in July.