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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are either compassionate defenders of the environment and victims of unfair and unrelenting bullying by the media. Or they are like all the other rich and famous hypocrites who don’t always practice what they preach when it comes to making personal sacrifices to fight climate change.
These two perspectives on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex battled it out on social media Tuesday, a day after their friend Elton John took to Twitter to defend their use of his private jet to go with son Archie on vacations to Spain and France.
Indeed, it appeared that Sir Elton’s defense of the couple — with Ellen DeGeneres and Pink joining in — sparked a new wave of criticism of the couple.
John had taken to Twitter on Monday to write that he was “deeply distressed” by media reports about Harry and Meghan, then explained that he had provided the plane to ensure their safety and privacy while going on a much-needed vacation.
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. pic.twitter.com/WjVRDSMX0z
— Elton John (@eltonofficial) August 19, 2019
But one person offered advice to John, Harry and Meghan on “how to avoid these controversies”: “Don’t lecture others on their carbon foot print when you live in mansions, fly on private jets, ride in limos, own multiple homes, stay on yachts, etc. don’t be a hypocrite. Harry & Meghan are being hypocrites.”
Another person understood the need to use private jets for security — up to a point:
I think they should have private flights for protection reasons etc. But they shouldn’t then talk all this nonesense about global warming as they clearly do not believe it. It’s all of the elites who preach to everyone else to change your life – but they never do themselves!
— Nintendo Navigator (@GlyntheVillan) August 20, 2019
Private jets are said to be notoriously bad for the environment. The Institute for Policy Studies, a Washington D.C.-based think tank dedicated to climate justice and equitable societies, in a 2017 report estimated that a single private jet trip burns more greenhouse gases than the average American does in a whole year.
John attempted to counter criticism over his jet’s carbon footprint by saying it had been made carbon neutral. People magazine said the process “typically involves calculating how much your flight generates in greenhouse gas emissions and financially contributing to a project that aims to reduce emissions by that same amount.”
Within hours of John’s tweets, Pink addressed the “bullying” of the couple, especially of the U.S.-born duchess. She tweeted:
https://twitter.com/Pink/status/1163658843554893826?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1163658843554893826&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.goodmorningamerica.com%2Fculture%2Fstory%2Fpink-ellen-degeneres-join-elton-john-defending-prince-65071539
Ellen DeGeneres praised Harry and Meghan as being genuine in their concerns about the environment and other causes.
“Portia and I met Prince Harry and Meghan in England to talk about their work on wildlife conservation,” the talk show host wrote on Twitter. “They were the most down-to-earth, compassionate people. Imagine being attacked for everything you do, when all you’re trying to do is make the world better.”
Portia and I met Prince Harry and Meghan in England to talk about their work on wildlife conservation. They were the most down-to-earth, compassionate people. Imagine being attacked for everything you do, when all you’re trying to do is make the world better. pic.twitter.com/226pRO1fj1
— Ellen DeGeneres (@EllenDeGeneres) August 19, 2019
Many on Twitter agreed with DeGeneres, Pink and John that the couple has been unfairly targeted for criticism by the media. They also praised John’s carbon-neutral strategy or raised a longstanding concern that some of the criticism is racially motivated because Meghan is biracial.
“Thank you so so much Ellen for having the courage to say this!” one person wrote to DeGeneres. “We have literally seen the systematic targeting of Harry and Meghan with a deliberate aim to bring them down! lt is beyond heartbreaking and about time that they are defended with loud voices!”
But others said they were tired of celebrities lecturing regular people about how to behave. Some said Harry and Meghan’s private jet use directly contradicts a statement they shared on their Instagram account, in which they wrote, “There is a ticking clock to protect our planet” and urged everyone “to do our part” to slow climate change.
“With nearly 7.7 billion people inhabiting this Earth, every choice, every footprint, every action makes a difference,” the couple said in a joint statement.
One critic countered: “Unfortunately Meghan & Harry have brought this all on themselves – the press reported when they said ‘every raindrop is important’ (sure you were all happy with that report) and then reported when they fail to ‘commit’ – repeatedly!”
Another wrote that if they were as invested in the cause as they say, “Then they would not fly private. PERIOD. No carbon offset crap, no justifying their pollution by saying how famous they are. They can fly commercial w/a security team: They are hypocrites.”
Someone also called out Sir Elton for saying that making his jet carbon neutral negates the environmental harm is causes:
https://twitter.com/_welshy46/status/1163702476002004992
Harry first faced criticism for his use of a private jet in late July when he traveled to the climate change summit at Google Camp in Sicily. Indeed, other A-list celebrities and business moguls attending Google Camp also were called out for traveling there in private jets. More than 100 private jets, as well as fleets of mega-yachts, were used to transport participants to the summit, according to reports in the Italian media.
Harry also had made waves earlier this month by announcing in a story published in British Vogue that he and Meghan planned to have no more than two children so as not to contribute to the world’s rapidly growing population.
While Sir Elton cited his friendship with Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, as one reason he felt protective of the couple, someone else once associated with the late princess was among those who said Harry and Meghan were being hypocritical.
Ken Wharfe, who guarded Diana and sons William and Harry in the 1990s, told Vanity Fair that the princess and her sons always “flew commercial” and never had problems with security or privacy.
“During my time at the palace most of the flights we took were commercial on British Airways, the national carrier,” Wharfe said. “BA were always very helpful with VIP departures and keeping the flights out of the press. I never had a problem with Diana, William and Harry on the numerous holidays we took to the Caribbean. We always flew commercial; in fact, I don’t remember flying private.”
