Britain's eco-friendly royals face carbon emission criticism

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been called hypocrites as they fly on second private jet in same week

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex have been criticised for their usage of flying private planes. Getty 

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are facing a backlash after jetting off to the South of France on a private jet.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex landed in Nice on Wednesday, August 15 with three-month-old baby Archie having flown from London in a 12-seater Cessna Citation Sovereign jet. The royal couple have previously spoken publicly about climate change and the need for people to reduce their carbon footprints.

The royal couple’s flight is estimated to have created seven times more carbon emissions per person than a commercial flight.

Registered to jet-leasing company NetJet, the aircraft is part of an obligatory carbon emission programme. However there are no standard certifications to show if this offsetting programme is credible.

Marlene Godwin, a British MP, took to twitter to call the royal couple’s behaviour hypocritical.

It is not the first private jet that the royal couple have taken this summer. Two days prior the pair returned by private jet from Ibiza where they had been celebrating the duchess’s birthday.

A post on the couple’s Instagram in July 1 highlighted the dangers of climate change and quoted Prince Harry saying: “Only now are we starting to notice and understand the damage that we’ve been causing. With nearly 7.7 billion people inhabiting this Earth, every choice, every footprint, every action makes a difference.”

Earlier this month, Harry was also criticised for flying privately to a four-day climate change event in Sicily.

Perhaps the pair should take their lead from Harry’s grandmother. Queen Elizabeth is one of the best-travelled monarchs in British history and has journeyed extensively both by commercial aircraft and by passenger train.

Members of the British Royal Family often fly commercially and Prince Harrry and Meghan did so when they flew with Qantas in 2018 for their tour of Australia.

Charter planes are often preferred for trips where royals need to stop in multiple countries or destinations or where security could be an issue on a scheduled flight.