Prince Harry says he flies by private jet to ‘keep his family safe’ as he finally responds to backlash
3 September 2019, 13:18
Prince Harry has broken his silence after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were criticised for flying around the world by private jet.
Prince Harry has finally spoken out about his use of private jets after facing a huge amount of backlash earlier in the year.
Meghan Markle and her husband came under fire after they were pictured flying to a holiday destination on a private jet, following their work in climate change and reducing carbon footprints.
READ MORE: Elton John defend Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's use of private jets
While many people and celebrities defended the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – including the late Princess Diana’s old friend Elton John – Meghan and Harry have remained tight-lipped about the subject, until now.
Today, Prince Harry flew to Amsterdam where he launched a global sustainable travel initiative, Travalyst.
Travalyst has been two years in the making, and is being put in place to help promote eco-friendly tourism.
Speaking about the new project, Prince Harry addressed the recent controversy, saying that he only travels by private jet to protect his family.
He said: “I spend 99% of my life travelling the world by commercial.
“Occasionally there needs to be an opportunity based on a unique circumstance to ensure that my family are safe.”
He went on to add that when he does travel by private jet, he does offset the carbon emissions.
In his speech, Harry went on to say: “And while no one is perfect, we are all responsible for our own individual impact; the question is what we do to balance it out.
“We could all do better, and while no one is perfect, we all have a responsibility for our own individual impact. The question is what we do to balance it all out.”
He ended with: “So today, after two years of behind-the-scenes conversations and planning, we're going to start with the tourism industry.”
The royal’s reasoning has been met with mixed responses, with some people agreeing that family safety is the most important thing.
One person commented on Twitter: “Nothing and I mean NOTHING is more important than the safety of your family.”
