Breaking his silence. Prince Harry addressed the ongoing private jet criticism surrounding him and his wife, Duchess Meghan, during an event in Amsterdam on Tuesday, September 3.
“We can all do better and while no one is perfect, we all have a responsibility for our own individual impact,” the royal, 34, told attendees while he introduced the couple’s new eco-friendly travel program, according to Hello! Magazine. “The question is what we do to balance it out.”
Harry’s comments come less than one month after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex faced backlash following a trip to Elton John’s home in Nice, France, in which they flew on a private jet.
“I came here by commercial. I spend 99 percent of my life traveling the world by commercial,” Harry later told the audience in Amsterdam while addressing his personal travel choices. “Occasionally there needs to be an opportunity based on a unique circumstance to ensure my family are safe and it’s genuinely as simple as that.”
John, 72, quickly came to the defense of Harry and Meghan, 38, in August after their visit made headlines.
“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 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.”
Harry’s Tuesday outing also served as the launch of his and Meghan’s latest project — Travalyst — in which they will partner with leading online travel firms to transform the industry.
“Travel has the unparalleled power to open people’s minds to different cultures, new experiences, and to have a profound appreciation for what our world has to offer,” the former military pilot explained. “As tourism inevitably grows, it is critically important to accelerate the adoption of sustainable practices worldwide and to balance this growth with the needs of the environment and the local population. Bringing companies, consumers, and communities together is our best chance to protect destinations and ecosystems for future generations.”
Harry and Meghan, along with their 3-month-old son, Archie, will be taking their first royal tour as a family of three to Africa next month.
“I can’t wait to introduce my wife and son to South Africa!” Harry gushed in a statement posted to the Sussex Royal Instagram page on Saturday, August 31. “We’ll see all of you very soon.”
