Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were branded “eco-hypocrites” after flying to a Katy Perry performance on a private jet.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who have been outspoken on environmental issues in the past, traveled with other celebrities from Santa Barbara to Las Vegas on a plane owned by Texas oil heir Michael Herd.
They joined celebrities including Cameron Diaz and her husband Benji Madden and actress Zoe Saldana on the Gulfstream jet on a 40-minute private flight to see the final show of Perry’s Las Vegas stay.
Just hours later, the Duke’s brother, Prince William, flew on a commercial British Airways flight to Singapore to attend the Earthshot Awards ceremony, which honors winners for their contribution to environmental protection.
Harry and Meghan’s move has sparked accusations of hypocrisy, as the Duke previously founded his charity Travalyst to promote sustainable and environmentally friendly tourism.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been criticized for flying to an appearance on a private jet. Pictured: Meghan Markle stands at the Katy Perry show on Saturday
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex joined other celebrities on a private plane owned by a Texas oil heir. In the picture: Harry and Meghan at Katy Perry’s performance
The couple flew out on Saturday, November 4, to see the final show of Katy Perry’s Las Vegas residency
They flew on a Gulfstream jet (file photo) from Santa Barbara, California, to Las Vegas, Nevada
A royal expert has suggested Harry, who is still a patron of the charity, should be “sacked” for the decision to fly private.
Angela Levin told the Sun: “They think they’ve become so great that they wouldn’t dream of taking a normal flight.”
“You’ve got all these rich friends who have to pay for it.” It’s worse than “Do as I say, not as I do” because he’s a sponsor of a charity.
“William was given a very warm welcome in Singapore, which may have upset Harry and Meghan. “This very behavior is why we call them eco-hypocrites.”
The couple had flown on a jet co-owned by Herd, who along with his wife Whitney Wolfe – the billionaire founder of the dating app Bumble – have become close to the Sussexes in recent months.
The plane emits around 1.8 tonnes of CO2 every hour – almost a quarter of the 7.4 tonnes produced by the average Briton each year, the newspaper reports.
According to the Paris Agreement’s goal of keeping global warming below 2°C, each person’s carbon budget should be no more than 2.1 tonnes per year
When contacted by the Sun about Harry and Meghan’s flight, Herd said they had “just gone to dinner and watched Katy’s last show.” “They’re nice people,” adding that he didn’t want to comment on the criticism of the Sussexes’ private flight, saying, “I’m not them.”
Harry helped found Travalyst in 2019, a charity that aims to “advance sustainability in the tourism industry” and help travelers “make informed decisions, learn what good looks like, and ultimately become more sustainable travelers.”
A blog post on the charity’s website urges people to “consider greener transport options such as coaches, ferries or trains” when traveling and to choose economy class when traveling by air as it is “more space efficient than more spacious options”. which means your share of the flight’s carbon footprint is lower.”
Web has contacted the Sussexes’ representatives for comment.
The Sussexes are also no strangers to private jets. In 2019, Harry and Meghan came under fire for arranging four private jet flights in just 11 days, including one to Sir Elton John’s home in Nice.
Meghan Markle smiles at her friend during the Katy Perry concert
Meghan and Harry can be seen before the Perry concert. It appears Harry and Meghan enjoy attending music concerts on their date nights after the couple – parents to Prince Archie, four, and Princess Lilibet, two – were filmed at a Beyoncé performance
Katy put on a fun, radiant show for the Duke and Duchess – after performing for King Charles earlier this year
Katy put on an incredible show as the delighted royals danced excitedly from their seats in Las Vegas
Harry and Meghan attend the Ms Foundation Women of Vision Awards: Celebrating Generations of Progress & Power at the Ziegfeld Ballroom on May 16, 2023 in New York City
Charles and Harry at the world premiere of “Our Planet” on April 4, 2019 at the Natural History Museum in London
Last month, Harry and Meghan flew to the Caribbean on a private jet, just days after attending a conference focused on the impact of climate change on mental health.
The couple flew from New Jersey to Canouan on a Dassault Falcon 7X jet after attending the summit in New York on October 10, and again for the four-hour flight between the exclusive retreat and Atlanta, Georgia.
Harry has previously said he takes commercial flights “99 per cent of my life”, while hinting that he sometimes uses private jets to “ensure my family is safe”.
This came after it was revealed that Harry had turned down an invitation to his father King Charles’ 75th birthday party.
The monarch will hold a ceremony at Clarence House in London a week from today to mark this significant milestone.
However, a spokesman for the couple stressed that they had had no contact from Buckingham Palace for His Majesty’s 75th birthday.
The Sunday Times reported that Prince Harry had declined an invitation to the birthday party and would instead stay in California.
However, a spokesperson for the couple told Web that the couple had not been contacted at all about the celebrations.
“There has been no contact regarding an invitation to His Majesty’s upcoming birthday.” “It is disappointing that the Sunday Times misreported this story,” they said.
A source close to the Sussexes told Web that the couple had not been invited to the plans, which they were completely unaware of.
“They had not received an invitation and were unaware of any celebrations until the stories came out,” the source said.
They added that the Sussexes would normally have been included in plans for significant events, despite the growing rift between them and the rest of the royal family.
“In this case that is not the case and that is fine.” I am sure the Duke will find a way to reach out privately and wish His Majesty a happy birthday, as he always has .”
“The story in the Times and subsequent stories have been positioned to make it appear as if the Duke is snubbing his father, which he is not.”