Harry and Meghan branded hypocrites for using private jets

London CNN — Environmental campaigners have accused the Duke and Duchess of Sussex of hypocrisy after the couple used private jets to fly to the south of France and Ibiza in two trips just days apart. Lucy Gilliam, the aviation and shipping officer from the campaign group Transport and Environment, told CNN that the royals flying private planes “sends the wrong message.” “Private jets are similar to commercial jets except they fly with less people, so therefore the footprint is much higher,” Gilliam explained. “If we’re serious about tackling climate change we have to be serious… We’re not going to solve this problem if the elite are not going to change their behavior.” Elton John said media reports of the couple’s trip to Nice were “distorted and malicious.” The singer said he and his husband David Furnish had paid for the private jet to Nice for security reasons, and had made a donation to an environmental charity. “To support Prince Harry’s commitment to the environment, we ensured their flight was carbon neutral, by making the appropriate contribution to Carbon Footprint™.” Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams argued that given their status, Harry and Meghan could not be expected to fly on commercial airlines. “They must expect the criticism if they’re preachy on climate change.” The royal family was criticized in June after the its annual financial statement revealed that it had doubled its carbon footprint from business travel.