Piers Morgan today hit out at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex over their use of private jets as he tweeted a picture of him sat in economy on a flight to Nice.
The DailyMail.com US Editor-at-Large was sat on the British Airways plane reading The Cricketer magazine next to a passenger wearing an Arsenal football shirt.
He tweeted at about 9.30am: ‘Memo to ‘eco-warriors’ Meghan and Harry: this is what Economy to Nice looks like. Try it some time. @British_Airways #ManOfThePeople.’
Piers Morgan today hit out at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex over their use of private jets
The DailyMail.com US Editor-at-Large was sat on the British Airways plane reading The Cricketer magazine next to a passenger wearing an Arsenal football shirt
The visit to France which ended on Saturday was Prince Harry and Meghan’s second Mediterranean holiday of the summer
Sir Elton John confirmed in an Instagram post that he had paid for Harry and Meghan to fly to and from his mansion
Prince Harry and Meghan are pictured stepping on board a private jet on Saturday, having arrived in France three days earlier
It comes after Sir Elton John launched an extraordinary defence of the Prince Harry and Meghan last night amid a furious row over their ‘hypocritical’ use of private jets.
The 72-year-old attacked ‘distorted and malicious’ reports about the royal couple’s recent trips to Spain and France, in which they took four luxury flights in 11 days.
He revealed that Harry, Meghan and baby Archie had stayed at his £15million St Tropez villa – and he laid on their flights.
The eco-warrior royals recently said that with so many people on the planet ‘every action makes a difference’.
But their green credentials have been called into question as campaigners say private jets create far more pollution than scheduled flights.
Sir Elton said he had made a donation to offset their carbon footprint.
Last Wednesday, Meghan was pictured holding baby Archie as she stepped off the private jet upon their arrival in Nice
In a series of tweets, he wrote: ‘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.’
He said he wanted to protect Harry, Meghan and Archie from the ‘unnecessary press intrusion’ that he believes contributed to the death of Princess Diana.
Sir Elton added that he and husband David Furnish wanted to give the family a private holiday ‘after a hectic year continuing their hard work and dedication to charity’.
The singer went on: ‘To maintain a high level of much-needed protection, we provided them with a private jet flight.
‘To support Prince Harry’s commitment to the environment, we ensured their flight was carbon neutral, by making the appropriate contribution to Carbon Footprint.’
The company gives donations to a range of renewable energy projects, including wind farms, hydroelectric plants and tree planting.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex speak with Sir Elton John at The Lion King premiere in London’s Leicester Square on July 14
Sir Elton finished: ‘I highly respect and applaud both Harry and Meghan’s commitment to charity and I’m calling on the Press to cease these relentless and untrue assassinations on their character that are spuriously crafted on an almost daily basis.’
However, veteran royal commentator Phil Dampier said: ‘They must have known that taking private jets four times in quick succession would leave them open to charges of hypocrisy but they just went ahead and did it anyway.
‘People don’t like to be lectured on climate change by those who don’t follow their own advice.’
Pictures emerged of Harry, Meghan and Archie boarding a £15million private jet in Nice after three days at Sir Elton’s home.
Their arrival in France came just two days after they flew home by private jet from Ibiza after a six-night break celebrating Meghan’s 38th birthday.
Each flight is estimated to have created a carbon footprint of more than three tons, producing seven times more carbon emissions per person than a commercial flight.
They arrived in France on a 12-seater Cessna aircraft last Wednesday, despite there being more than 20 scheduled commercial flights from London to Nice that day.
Their earlier trip to Ibiza is believed to have produced a footprint of more than four tons.
The carbon footprint – carbon dioxide released as a direct result of an activity – of an average person in the UK is 13 tons a year.
Harry and Meghan are believed to have visited the £15million palatial home of Castel Mont-Alban owned by Sir Elton John
Paul Morozzo, of Greenpeace UK, said: ‘An airliner is over ten times as polluting as a modern train, and private jets are ten times more polluting still.
‘It’s vitally important all frequent fliers reduce the number of flights they take if we are to confront the climate emergency.’
Harry and Meghan have previously claimed they will have a maximum of two children to avoid damaging the environment.
They frequently post about ‘saving the planet’ on Instagram, which has prompted a backlash from some of their 9.3million followers.
Just yesterday they published a quote from Archbishop Desmond Tutu which read: ‘Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.’
But some responses included ‘How about less gas-guzzling air travel?’ and ‘Are you done jet-setting and being hypocrites?’
The latest row comes after Harry, 34, attended Google’s ‘green summit’ in Sicily at the end of July where he gave lectures.
It was claimed Google paid for his private flights and a helicopter to a resort, where he is understood to have stayed on a super-yacht.
In September’s edition of Vogue, guest edited by Meghan, Harry said the couple would only have two children for the sake of the environment. The Duke of Sussex is pictured with ethologist Dr Jane Goodall who also appears in the issue
Labour MP Teresa Pearce said: ‘Given the position they have taken publicly about being responsible on climate change, this does seem an anomaly.’
Ken Wharfe, an ex-royal protection officer who guarded Princess Diana, said: ‘Frankly, it’s hypocritical.
‘Harry can’t be preaching about the catastrophic effects of climate change while jetting around the world on a private plane.’
Sir Elton performed at the funeral of Princess Diana in 1997, singing a specially reworked version of his hit song Candle In The Wind.
He was among the celebrity guests invited to Harry and Meghan’s wedding in Windsor last year. Buckingham Palace has declined to comment.
Pop star Pink also defended the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, tweeting: ‘I’m happy to see people coming to the defence of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
‘The way people treat her is the most public form of bullying I have seen in a while. It’s out of control. Let’s all be a bit kinder, huh? Let’s show our children that it’s cool to be kind.’
US chat show host Ellen DeGeneres also defended the couple, posting on Instagram: ‘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.