Elton John Shuts Down Backlash Against Meghan & Harry's France Trip

From Harper's BAZAAR

• Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, and their son, Archie, visited Nice, France, last week and stayed at Elton John's home.
  

• They were seen arriving to the French city in a private jet, causing backlash from critics who say the eco-unfriendly form of travel conflicts with the couple's fight against climate change.

• John clarified on Instagram that he provided the couple with the jet to maintain a level of protection during a private trip to his home and ensured the aircraft is "carbon neutral" by offsetting the carbon emissions through the Carbon Footprint initiative.

Elton John is defending Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, after the royal couple and their three-month-old son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, took a private jet to stay at the singer's home in Nice, France, last week. After photos surfaced showing the royals using a private plane, critics called the couple "hypocrites" for using a "gas-guzzling" form of travel, which contradicts with their fight against climate change. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have kept mum on the backlash, but John spoke out on Instagram to clarify the "distorted and malicious" press coverage on the family's travel plans.

"After a hectic year continuing their hard work and dedication to charity, David [Furnish, John's husband] and I wanted the young family to have a private holiday inside the safety and tranquility of our home," John explained in his Instagram caption.

"To maintain a high level of much-needed protection, we provided them with a private jet flight," he continued. "To support Prince Harry's commitment to the environment, we ensured their flight was carbon neutral, by making the appropriate contribution to Carbon Footprint™."

When something is carbon neutral, that means its carbon emissions "have been balanced out by funding an equivalent amount of carbon savings elsewhere in the world," according to the Carbon Footprint initiative. Participants can calculate the carbon emissions produced by a certain business or activity, such as flying a private jet, and offset them by funding sustainability projects that reduce greenhouse gasses around the world.

John, who was "deeply distressed" by the harsh reports about Harry and Meghan's travel plans, explained that as one of Princess Diana's close friends, he feels a sense of obligation to protect Harry and his family "from the unnecessary press intrusion that contributed to Diana's untimely death."

He concluded, "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."

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