Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Attacked Again for Flying All Over in Private Jets
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have stated on numerous occasions how passionate they are about the environment and the need for everyone to reduce their carbon footprint. However, some of their past behavior has drawn criticism because it seems to indicate otherwise.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex officially stepped down from their royal roles in March 2020 and left their old lives behind. But they kept up one habit that they were slammed for while they were working royals and that hasn’t gone noticed.
Critics previously mocked Prince Harry calling him the ‘carbon footprince’
An incident that had previously raised a lot of eyebrows is when Harry gave a speech in 2019 on global warming to 12,000 young fans to wake up and act on the damaging effects our ways of living are having on the planet. The duke told the crowd: “Climate change is a humanitarian issue, not a political one and one where we’ve been far too slow in waking up to the issues and acting on the damaging impact our ways of living are having on the world. We now have the facts, the science, the technology, and the ability to save not just our planet, but ourselves.”
The Sun reported that just two days before Harry talked about the effects of climate change and how everyone can make a difference if they do their part, he charted a helicopter from London to Birmingham for a royal engagement. As The Times noted, Harry was then slammed by several members of the media and dubbed the “carbon footprince.”
The timing of the speech was also a few weeks after Meghan took a private jet with George Clooney‘s wife, Amal, from New York to London.
Harry and Meghan have been labeled ‘out of touch’ after more trips in private jets
The Sussexes’ jet-setting ways to and from destinations in private planes have continued after they moved to California. The Express reported that in August 2021, Harry took a private jet back from a charity polo match despite still preaching to the public about climate change.
Journalist Angela Levin who spent time with Prince Harry a few years back when she wrote his biography called him and his bride out for continuing to take the gas-guzzlers after lecturing everyone else on what they should and shouldn’t do.
“It shows A) they are out of touch and B) that they are huge hypocrites,” Levin told talkRADIO. “They tell all the world what we have to do, it is very important we must do it, but they don’t think they are involved in that, they have exception because they are so grand and they are so important. But these private jets have at least 10 times more damage to the atmosphere than a commercial jet and 50 times more damage than if he went by train but of course none of this applies to him.”
Levin added: “I think it is outrageous actually but it is the same as when he says we all have to be compassionate when they are not compassionate to their own parents and family, that we can only have two children when it’s none of his business really and jet sets.”
How the Duke and Duchess of Sussex defended their actions
When they were still working royals, the palace was asked about the duke and duchess’s flying habits especially after Prince William and his family were spotted in commercial flights.
A spokesperson told The Sun: “Travel decisions are based on a number of factors, including effective use of time, security and minimizing the impact on others, while ensuring the full schedule can be delivered.”
Harry also defended the actions himself saying: “I spend 99 percent of my life traveling the world by commercial. Occasionally there needs to be an opportunity based on a unique circumstance to ensure that my family [is] safe — it’s generally as simple as that.”
