Friends of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are coming to their defense after receiving a lot of criticisms for using private jets on their recent trips abroad. Ellen DeGeneres and Elton John have spoken about the controversy when the media pointed out the "hypocrisy" of the couple known for the advocacy towards the environment.
In a post on Twitter, DeGeneres said that she and her wife Portia DaRossi had met Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan in person to discuss conversing wildlife.
"They were the most down-to-earth, compassionate people," the comedienne said. "Imagine being attacked for everything you do, when all you're trying to do is make the world better."
Sir Elton John, who was good friends with Princess Diana, Prince Harry's mother, also lashed out on the media for its "malicious" coverage of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's recent trips abroad. It was his home in Nice, France which the couple visited over the weekend.
"I am deeply distressed by today's distorted and malicious account in the press surrounding the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's private stay at my home in Nice last week," the singer posted. "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," John said, further explaining why he needed to defend the couple from the attacks.
John said that he and husband David Furnish paid for Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan's private plane use thus no money from the taxpayers have been spent, per Time. The plane also made use of carbon-neutral fuel to lessen its carbon footprint.
According to reports from Daily Mail, Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan had at least four private trips in less than two weeks. First, they flew to Farnborough in the U.K. to spend the duchess' birthday holiday in Ibiza, Spain last Aug. 6. They returned to the U.K. on Aug. 12.
Then on Aug. 14, the couple, along with their baby boy Archie Harrison, flew back to Farnborough to board a private jet to Nice, France once again. They were back in London on Aug. 17.
The Sussex royals are believed to have used a Gulfstream 200 for their outside trips and a Cessna 500 XL for their return trips. Critics estimated that one trip alone netted at least three to six tons of carbon footprint, where the average British citizen wastes over 13 tons.
