Princess Anne ‘Not Concerned’ About Climate Change as She Takes 3 Helicopters Following Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Criticism
Prior to the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, members of the royal family had been campaigning about the “climate emergency” and damaging effects of global warming. However, one royal who doesn’t seem too worried about any of that is Queen Elizabeth’s daughter Princess Anne.
The Princess Royal was spotted traveling by helicopter to a number of her royal engagements in October. Her decision to do so comes as other royals are speaking out about climate change, and just weeks after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle received backlash for taking a private plane home from the Global Citizen Live event in New York City.
Princess Anne traveled on 3 helicopters in 12 days
The Express reported that Princess Anne, who is known as one of the hardest-working royals, took three helicopters in 12 days to her engagements. The publication noted that Anne flew via a chopper to Forres, Scotland on Oct. 13, then to Weston-super-Mare on Oct. 22, and to Plymouth on Oct. 25. Those trips used carbon emissions of 3.9 tons and hundreds of gallons of aviation fuel.
News of how the Princess Royal got to and from those destinations broke on the eve of the COP26 climate summit which several royals are attending.
Buckingham Palace released a statement following the reports of the princess’s method of transpotation which said: “Official travel for members of the royal family seeks to find the best balance of security and efficiency whilst minimizing any disruption to the public. On some occasions, when all factors are considered, a helicopter provides the best option for travel for official engagements.”
Meghan and Prince Harry have received backlash for doing the same thing
Another reason some are surprised by the way the queen’s only daughter chose to travel is because of how much heat Prince Harry and Meghan Markle got when it was revealed that they flew back to California from the Global Citizen Live event in New York City in a gas-guzzling private plane.
A number of royal fans called the Sussexes “hypocrites.” And they were dubbed the “Prince and Princess of Pollution” and “World’s Most Toxic Royals” by critics including Piers Morgan.
Other royals promoting COP26 flew via helicopter to a royal visit
But it’s not just Princess Anne who has been flying by helicopter to royal engagements. Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla Parker Bowles, have also done so for a recent royal visit to Scotland.
The Prince of Wales’ choice of travel may raise more eyebrows than his sister’s because Charles has long been climate change activist and very vocal about global warming. Anne, however, doesn’t mind flying on a copter as she is reportedly far less concerned with climate change. “Prince William, Prince Charles, and the queen have all spoken out about the climate emergency in recent weeks, but it seems that Anne doesn’t share their concerns,” a source told The Mirror.
In an interview with Australian Women’s Weekly in 2020, Anne gave her thoughts on the subject saying: “I don’t even go down the climate change route. I think the way people manage ground is part of the discussion. Climate changes all the time. It has done so throughout the globe’s history, so there’s nothing new under the sun.”
