Sir Elton John paid for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s private jet to Nice mansion
A “deeply distressed” Elton John has defended Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s private jet use.
Sir Elton John said yesterday that he had paid for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to take a private jet to his holiday home on the French Riviera to ensure a “high level of much-needed protection”.
The royal couple faced criticism for hypocrisy after taking four flights on private jets for personal trips within a fortnight despite campaigning about the dangers of climate change.
They and their three-month-old son, Archie, were photographed boarding a jet home on Saturday after visiting Sir Elton’s $AU2.69 million Castel Mont-Alban, where the singer-songwriter spends holidays with his husband, David Furnish, and their young sons.
The duke joined Sir Elton last month in launching a global coalition focused on treating HIV in men. Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, was a prominent supporter of HIV/Aids charities and Sir Elton performed at her funeral in 1997 and at Harry and Meghan’s wedding last year.
Sir Elton wrote on social media that he had been “deeply distressed” by the “distorted and malicious account” of the couple’s visit, adding that their flights had been carbon-neutral.
“I feel a profound sense of obligation to protect Harry and his family from the unnecessary press intrusion that contributed to Diana’s untimely death,” he wrote. “After a hectic year continuing their hard work and dedication to charity, David and I wanted the young family to have a private holiday.
“To maintain a high level of much-needed protection, we provided them with a private jet flight. To support Prince Harry’s commitment to the environment, we ensured that their flight was carbon neutral by making the appropriate contribution to Carbon Footprint.” Carbon Footprint says that it allows people to offset emissions by funding carbon-reduction projects.
The duke told Vogue last month about his fears of the “terrifying” effects of climate change, and disclosed that he and Meghan planned to have no more than two children.
The Cessna 680 Citation Sovereign jet used for the return flight is operated by European Flight Service, a charter company based in Sweden that also operates out of Farnborough Airport in Hampshire. Harry, 34, and his wife took the jet on Wednesday, although there were more than 20 scheduled commercial flights from London to Nice that day.
They had returned to London two days earlier after a six-day trip to Ibiza, also using private jets, for the duchess’s 38th birthday.
The duchess edited the September issue of Vogue, in which her husband spoke of his fears for the environment. The cover featured Greta Thunberg, the teenage climate change activist.
Harry used a private jet last month to attend a “green summit” organised by Google in Sicily, where he delivered a speech on protecting the environment.
He has said on Instagram: “With nearly 7.7 billion people inhabiting this Earth, every choice, every footprint, every action makes a difference.”
In 2014 a royal household source told The Times that it tried to persuade the family to take scheduled flights, saying the “younger generation” used more.
The Sussexes’ Instagram page shared a quote yesterday from Archbishop Desmond Tutu, saying: “It’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” One user replied: “How about you do your little bit of good and stop taking flights on private jets.” Another added: “You personally are destroying our planet more than any of the average citizens.”
The Times
Yoga, wellness and death: check into The White Lotus
The super-rich have moved on to Thailand for the third series of Mike White’s hit thriller. Its stars talk about their trip of a lifetime.
UK’s island deal to avoid ‘missile crisis’
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s deal to cede the Chagos Islands to Mauritius is necessary to avoid setting off ‘a serious confrontation’ in the Indian Ocean, a Foreign Office minister says.