Royals may be forced to reveal who pays for private flights

The Queen expects members of the royal family to reveal who finances their private trips.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex have been criticised for taking four flights on private jets for personal trips within two weeks despite campaigning about the dangers of climate change. Picture: Getty Images

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex could be required to declare who pays for their trips on private jets as environmentalists dismissed Sir Elton John’s payment to offset the carbon produced on their flight to his holiday home.

The singer disclosed on Monday that he had paid for the flights to and from the French Riviera after Harry and Meghan were criticised for taking four flights on private jets for personal trips within two weeks despite campaigning about the dangers of climate change.

Kensington Palace has declined to say who paid for the couple’s flights to Ibiza this month. However, the Queen expects members of the royal family to abide by the Nolan principles of standards in public life, which include a requirement to declare benefits received.

Although the royal family is excluded from requests under freedom of information laws, it has stated that its policy is to “provide information as freely as possible”. The Sussex’s return flights to Nice on a Cessna private jet created at least 8.4 tonnes of CO2. The average person in Britain produced 5.4 tonnes of CO2 last year.

The company used by Sir Elton to offset the carbon produced by the flights would normally charge a minimum of $AU86 to fund schemes including planting trees in Britain and providing energy-efficient stoves in Africa.

Doug Parr, Greenpeace’s chief scientist, said: “Carbon offsetting is not a meaningful response to aviation emissions. Good works can be done with cash [going] into offset schemes, but it is no solution.”

Tim Johnson, director of the Aviation Environment Federation, said: “You cannot get a more carbon intensive form of transport than chartering a business jet. These are choices that individuals can make.”

Sir Elton said on Monday that he had paid for the flights to ensure a “high level of much-needed protection”.

The Times