Royally protective. Elton John defended Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan’s decision to fly private to the musician’s vacation home in Nice, France.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who have been vocal about the effects of climate change, came under fire after photos surfaced of the pair boarding a private jet to the South of France days after Meghan returned from Ibiza.
John addressed the situation in a series of tweets on Monday, August 19, revealing he and husband David Furnish actually provided Harry, 34, Meghan, 38, and 3-month-old son Archie with the jet to Nice.
“Prince Harry’s Mother, Diana Princess Of Wales was one of my dearest friends. 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,” the Grammy winner, who performed at Harry and Meghan’s May 2018 nuptials, tweeted. “After a hectic year continuing their hard work and dedication to charity, David and I wanted the young family to have a private holiday inside the safety and tranquility of our home. To maintain a high level of much-needed protection, we provided them with a private jet flight.”
The “Tiny Dancer” singer added that he “ensured their flight was carbon neutral, by making the appropriate contribution to Carbon Footprint” to “support Prince Harry’s commitment to the environment.”
John concluded that he respects and applauds both “Harry and Meghan’s commitment to charity.”
Us Weekly previously confirmed that Meghan, who gave birth to Archie on May 6, took a low-profile trip to Ibiza earlier this month. After returning from the Spanish island on August 12, the Suits alum, Harry and their son jetted off to John and Furnish’s home.
Last month, Harry revealed he and Meghan plan to have a “maximum” of two children due to his concerns for the planet’s future.
“I’ve always wanted to try and ensure that, even before having a child and hoping to have children … as intelligent as we all are, or as evolved as we all are supposed to be, we should be able to leave something better behind for the next generation,” the prince told Dr. Jane Goodall while interviewing her for Meghan’s guest-edited September issue of British Vogue. “I always think to myself, whenever there’s another natural disaster, a huge increase in volcano eruptions or earthquakes or flooding, how many clues does nature have to give us before we actually learn, or wake ourselves up to the damage and the destruction that we’re causing?”
Kensington Palace has yet to publicly comment on the private jet controversy.
