I use private jets for my family’s safety, claims Prince Harry

Duke of Sussex says “99 per cent” of his flights are commercial but family safety comes first.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, fly commercial ‘99 per cent’ of the time, says Harry.

The Duke of Sussex has defended his use of private jets, saying that he flies commercial “99 per cent” of the time but occasionally needs to go private for the sake of his family’s safety. “No one is perfect,” he said.

Prince Harry was accused of hypocrisy last month when it was reported that he used private jets for two trips during the summer despite making a series of pronouncements about the environment. Flying privately creates significantly greater carbon emissions than using scheduled flights.

He made his remarks as it emerged that he and his wife Meghan had used a US public relations firm whose clients have included Harvey Weinstein and the Michael Jackson estate. One of the firm’s partners is Keleigh Thomas Morgan, a friend of the duchess who attended her wedding.

Prince Harry spoke about his decision to use private jets at the launch in Amsterdam of a global project to encourage the tourism industry to become more sustainable and to make eco-choices simpler for travellers.

The royal couple have faced mounting criticism after reportedly taking four private jet journeys in 11 days last month. The couple were said to have flown to Ibiza to celebrate the duchess’s 38th birthday, and later made a separate trip with their baby, Archie, to stay with Sir Elton John in the south of France. Sir Elton said that he paid for the jet to give the couple privacy and that they offset the return journey’s carbon emissions.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex chat with British singer-songwriter Elton John at the European Premiere of Disney's The Lion King in London in July.

During a question-and-answer session at the end of the launch of Travalyst, which features leading online travel companies, Harry was asked how he travelled to Amsterdam for the event and if he was changing his travel behaviour. He replied: “I came here by commercial. I spend 99 per cent of my life travelling the world by commercial. Occasionally there needs to be an opportunity based on a unique circumstance to ensure that my family are safe - it’s generally as simple as that.”

In his speech launching the initiative, he said that everyone could “do better” to reduce their impact on the environment. “Sometimes the scale of the conservation crisis feels overwhelming and that individual actions can’t make a difference,” he said.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, holds Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, watched on by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex at the King Power Royal Charity Polo Match in Wokingham, England.

“I’ve certainly felt that, but I’ve learnt that we cannot dismiss the idea of trying to do something just because we can’t do everything. We can all do better. And, while no one is perfect, we are all responsible for our own individual impact. The question is what we do to balance it out.”

He added: “I’ve always offset my CO2. I think part of the group discussion we had earlier was, ‘What is offsetting CO2?’ There are so many people out there that hear about it, don’t know about it. In my mind it’s the right thing to do and we need to make it cool, but it can’t just be a ticking-the-box exercise.

“Somehow we have to connect people to where that little bit of extra money is actually going and, the moment you have that connection, you feel you have a bigger purpose in life, and you can actually see the difference you’re making, and I think that’s acceptable.”

The project, co-founded by Booking.com, Ctrip, Skyscanner, Tripadvisor and Visa, aims to improve conservation and environmental protection and help to increase the economic benefits of tourism for local communities.

Part of the gated Vista Alegre complex where Meghan and Harry stayed in Ibiza.

Buckingham Palace said that the PR consultant Sunshine Sachs had been hired to launch the initiative in the US. It was being paid for privately.

The palace denied a report in The Sun that said the PR company had been taken on by the duchess to improve her image after a string of recent controversies, saying that this was the first official work it had done for the couple.

The duke and duchess are in the process of setting up their own charitable foundation, the Sussex Royal Foundation, after splitting from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s Royal Foundation.

THE TIMES