Last Thursday, Prince Harry made a surprise appearance at a polo match in Aspen, Colorado. The match benefited Sentebale, and Harry played with his dear friend Nacho Figueras (as you can see in the above IG). Harry also announced a seven-figure donation to Sentebale – the money comes from his publishing advance – and the polo match raised a lot of money too. All in all, a great day for charity and a great day for Prince Harry. He raised a lot of money, he gave away his own money, spent time with his friends, and played some polo. But of course the Daily Mail had to point out that Harry – gasp – took a private plane.
Prince Harry has landed in Santa Barbara after taking his millionaire friend’s private jet home just months after lecturing about climate change. The campaigning royal, 36, boarded the 20-seater £45million plane from a polo match in Aspen, Colorado, to his home in Santa Barbara, California, on Thursday.
He took the two-hour flight, which could have emitted as much as ten tonnes of CO2, shortly after he was pictured on horseback at the polo. The Gulfstream jet is understood to belong to one of Harry’s polo friends, Marc Ganzi, according to The Sun. After touching down in Santa Barbara, Harry was rushed into the car and headed back to his mansion in Montecito with Meghan and their two children.
It comes just three months after Harry said climate change was one of ‘the most pressing issues we are facing’, and just as his father Prince Charles made his most powerful intervention on the issue yet, as he told Britain’s business leaders they must help, or the planet is ‘done for’.
Speaking to Oprah Winfrey on Apple TV, Harry said: ‘With kids growing up in today’s world, pretty depressing, right, depending on where you live, your home country is either on fire, it’s either underwater, houses or forests are being flattened.’
Royal author Tom Quinn said after his latest private jet trip: ‘This appears to be enormously hypocritical, given all his talk about climate change. Harry seems to see himself as someone who guides the rest of the world and that his own behaviour isn’t relevant. It is a huge blind spot.’
If I’m being honest, I think rich people take too many private planes too. I also think it’s hypocritical to style yourself as an environmentalist and travel consistently by private plane. That being said, an environmentalist can take a private plane AND still have important things to say about the environment. It’s also pretty ridiculous to only apply this energy towards Harry because he apparently “lectured” people on environmentalism, meanwhile his father has actually been lecturing people about environmentalism for years… all while traveling by private plane, private train and private helicopter consistently.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid & IG.
They are just mad because they are completely out of the loop. 🤡
And they don’t have anything else to say!
Prince Harry is supposed to fly on a domestic commercial flight with every maskhole purposefully taking them off? With 2 babies at home? Uh no.
He flew on a Gulfstream…so yes private jet but they have this: sustainable alternative jet fuel (SAJF). “Each gallon of fuel burned achieves more than a 60% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, relative to petroleum-based jet fuel.”
Also, I doubt he flew alone on this jet to Aspen (but I don’t want to click the Mail to find out – ha)
God forbid the BM should actually talk about the event itself, and how much money was raised for a good cause, huh? Anyway, shame on Harry for not taking a horse and buggy to Aspen. And kudos to the BM for this show of burning jealousy and resentment toward Harry. I mean, the way they itemize the cost of the plane is just nothing short of consistent. The only thing they missed is number of bathrooms on the plane. I cannot rest until I know that factoid. /s
LOL! Harry played in a polo match with his brother Nachos with nary a leak in sight. The tabloids are furious. Let them continue with the private jet nonsense. As if the OG environmentalist and the other brother are not the worst offenders. I hope the Sussexes buy their own PJ. That would really make the haters fume.
Harry’s behavior isn’t excused because someone else’s is worse. None of them should be using private planes.
We have no idea what kind of threats they have received, for real. If he and his family do more good than bad, he gets a pass from me.
@ennie the TSA protects one million air travelers per day. Harry is perfectly safe flying commercial.
Harry has flown commercial recently (I think he flew commercial both times to the UK this year) so he’s obviously okay with it. My guess is this was just a matter of convenience and someone offered, so why not?
I think very few people in this world have an excuse to fly private. But we went through this two years ago and honestly I can’t believe the british press is back to this. Until they criticize all the royals for their carbon footprint, they can shut up about Harry.
And I don’t think that’s “whataboutism” per se, its more just “miss me with the hypocrisy.” “The Daily Mail or Sun or whoever doesnt give a crap if Harry flies private. Most of their readers are probably jealous and want to fly private. They care because they can attack him with this.
ETA so if there was a story about the royal family and their transportation and how that impacted the environment, and they were criticizing Harry within that article – go for it. But don’t run an article from Charles about climate change while also criticizing Harry for his private jet (I dont know if they’re the same paper and I’m not checking lol.)
@becks1 you are absolutely right. Why is Harry singled out for the most vitriol? Plus he is not being paid for by the tax payer anymore. There is no whataboutism, more like holding my nose from the odious stench of hyprocrisy.
Why isn’t the Daily Mail, a British paper, focusing on the ones who fly private at British tax payers expense? Focusing on Harry, who actually shared a flight with someone else who actually owns the plane, is no different than any other rich person using a private jet in the entire world. He never even made environmental issues his main focus, as opposed to his father and brother, who only fly when other pay for them.
If an American paper was writing an article criticizing rich people who use private jets and are hypocrites, they wouldn’t stop at Harry but would include others. This is just British tabloids targeting Harry for something that so many others can be criticized for, including the ones flying private a British taxpayers expense.
@Nic919 Harry started Travelyst, which is a nonprofit seeking drive systemic change to make travel more sustainable. He put himself front and center on the issue.
@Mac but you are in the Charles post defending him as an environmentalist and how he “led the charge” etc – has he not put himself front and center on this issue? the DM ran an op-ed from him about climate change this weekend. Is that not putting himself front and center?
And yet the DM and rest of the british press, and a good deal of the public, is silent on his hypocrisy.
Finally the british press started attacking him for his private jet usage before travalyst was announced.
@Becks1 I very specifically said Charles needs to reduce his massive carbon footprint. Maybe you skipped that part?
Nope, I saw it. You are still giving Charles a massive pass because you think he’s a leading environmentalist but using Harry’s work as an excuse to criticize him because he has put himself front and center.
but I remember having this same discussion with you two years ago so its clear we just view it very differently.
Nope, I’m not giving anyone a pass, but I am also not pretending that Charles hasn’t been a successful environmental activist for decades. I also said no one in the BRF should be flying private. For some reason you think that means only Harry. Weird interpretation.
When the daily Mail remains silent on the taxpayer funded royals like Charles and William, who use private jets and helicopters at taxpayer expense and promote an environmentalism agenda, they have no credibility only making the story about Harry hitching a ride on a private jet.
Harry being involved with Travelyst isn’t enough to justify excluding the other two, who are far more relevant to the British readers and taxpayers, as opposed to Harry, who now does not cost them anything.
And of course the DM just printed an article by Charles about the environment so it makes the hypocrisy even more obvious.
@Mac — who made you an expert on secure air travel? If you, for instance, had been receiving dozens, possibly hundreds of death threats including threats to your spouse and children, wouldn’t you prefer to occasionally fly private? Furthermore, when he does fly regular he has to take a contingent of security with him and expose himself and his security team to covid. The 1 million you say are protected daily are not Prince Harry and they don’t have targets on their backs.
@Jaded I’ve lived in DC for 30 years and have been on commercial flights with Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush, Jenn Bush, Chuck Schumer, John Beohner, Donna Shalala, Lester Holt, Valarie Jarret, John Warner, and RFK Jr. (at least those are the ones I remember).
If the TSA could safely get Harry to Denver, why were they not competent to get him home?
None of those people have been repeatendly threatened with being kidnapped, tortured live on the interwebs, and killed. The Taliban has said that for years about Harry.
I get it. There are a bunch of people who will attack Harry breathing. The issues of his safety are real, mostly because of racists and hate mongers who are obsessively attacking him online, tracking his every movement, breaking into security cameras to follow his locations, cutting through security fencing to take his picture (or easily shoot) him.
Did you know that people (trolls) on Twitter were tracking Harry from the moment he was visible in the airport and practically live-tweeting his every move?
I maintain, he has a pass from me.
@notasugarhere
They may not have been threatened by the Taliban but you actually think Hillary Clinton isn’t getting DAILY threats you are delusional. The right wing of this country wants to have her head on a stick.
Two guys are in jail because they plotted to kill Harry for being a race traitor.
Hillary Clinton as the wife of a former President has the benefit of Secret Service, as does Laura Bush, which Harry does not.
Until the British tabloids start comparing those that the Brits are paying for the lifestyles of the Royal family and their opulent usage of private travel and having their own private planes and helicopters, they can all STFU. Harry was catching a lift and he usually flies commercial, but instead, the tabloids refuse to allow Harry and Meghan to breath without criticizing both of them endlessly!!
They are nothing but bitter, angry and disgusting lot that like to keep bashing the Sussex’s at every opportunity!!
What is he supposed to do….walk home?
This selective and highly performative “outrage” when it comes to the Sussexes taking anything but a public bus is tiring. I can’t even be bothered as the BM has overplayed its hand. Until the BM starts paying attn to the welfare royals and their private modes of transportation, I say ride, Harry, ride.
PS: I just love the way some posters are downplaying the constant threats on Harry’s life. You take chances w/ your own life, you don’t get to tell anyone else what risks they should be willing to assume. You know who you are, and you can get bent!
@Mac, I’ll be honest. In this climate, if I could take a private plane, I would. People are becoming too aggressive, too terroristic on these planes, putting us all at risk. Whether it’s violence or intentionally trying to infect others, the risk is too great.
Add to that the existing security threats that Harry faces for just living his life as a prince married to a biracial woman…and for me, private is the safest option he has.
I believe the money will come from future proceeds of the book, not from Harry’s current book advance money. The question is what if the book does not have a profit of +$1.5 dollars? It could happen.
I thought an advance was just that–future proceeds of the book. But then again, I’m not a writer.
@still_Sarah. you are correct. The pledge was from proceeds not the advance. So it will depend on the sales to determine the actual amount the charity receives.
@snappyfish PH (or his spokesperson) said an amount not a percentage of the sales. I take him at his word when he says 1.5 million (pretty sure that’s $ since the fundraiser was in the USA not £).
“Proceeds” is different from “profit.” One is before expenses and the other is after expenses.
My understanding is that the author keeps the advance money – it’s a gamble by the publisher that it will sell enough. However the author doesn’t earn any more unless sales exceed the amount that the advance was based on.
They are all hypocrites. Dont believe anything the rich say. Just keep the peasants working while they live in opulence. Titles dont matter
William even ferries the Middletons on his copter this has been established. Why does he not drive there it’s not that far but he goes on about the environment?
Why they don’t get mad at the Kardashians who aren’t capable of farting if it’s not on a private plane? Come on, he does the same as everybody at his level, fly private.
There needs to be a BRF Hypocrisy website where every article like this is shown next to an article *not* criticizing the other family members for similar or far worse behavior.
Just so everyone gets a clear picture of what the BRF and racist press are doing.
I’d subscribe.
Oh i wish ,something similar to what was it Laney? did with how they report Megan and Kate doing the same thing with completely different tones.
Isn’t Charles the one who uses the private jets the most and it’s not even close? Has Charles ever been seen on regular commercial flights? We know Harry takes commercial flights.
Pretty sure Charles & Camilla used Heir Force One on their 4 day trip to DC/US back in 2015. I’m not familiar with Charles’ commercial flight usage.
Two years ago today, I believe is the anniversary of the Flybe stunt by W & K. Will there be a repeat?
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Don’t other famous environmentalists like Prince Charles and Al Gore use private planes as well? But it’s Harry and Meghan that get called on it on it the most without noting they do it for the same reasons security and they can afford to do it.
I read a book – I think it was Norman Baker’s book about the royals – that talked about their private plane usage (including Harry’s of course) but mentioned how Charles gets sulky if he has to fly first class (and not private), even if his entourage takes up the entire first class cabin (so no mingling with the unwashed masses.)
Charles also had a private jet sent back home to retrieve something he forgot.
Don’t care. The real causes of climate change are corporations and unchecked / unregulated capitalism. Prince Harry is just fine.
Exactly.
This. Let’s talk about the environmental regulations – that are too lax to begin with – that are consistently broken by giant corporations, hmm? The Daily Mail no doubt are bustling to do so. /s
Also, there are security concerns on a normal day, let alone all of the new factors with a deadly virus spanning the globe. Add in Harry having a toddler and a three-month-old at home? Yeah, I’ll pass on this attempted slam too, William/Charles/whoever. Nice try.
Sure, the real factor and most irreversible causes of climate change are corporate regulations. But at the point that we’re at, other things DO matter. We’re rapidly running out of fossil fuels. Factory farming is a MASSIVE contributor to climate change. Fast fashion production and landfills are huge problems that leach chemicals into soil and oceans. Consumption at every level makes a difference and we need to be better. I side-eye anyone who uses a private plane. It’s nothing more than a massive flaunt of money and privilege. There are other options. Use them.
Meh, where was this yr same energy/anger about ole Betty lobbying the govt so as to evade environment related policies? Where was all this yr energy about William”s empty fly be stunt? Where was all this yr energy about William flying private plane to Davos to attend a conference on environment and lecture others about how we should stop everything we are doing so the earth can be saved for his kids? Please, Harry is not the only one being hypocritical here.🙄🙄
Yeah, I never mentioned Harry specifically as a villain. I’m replying directly to the comment above. I think all of those things are awful too.
@Babs
it was right here on this site. Besides, I thought we were better than whataboutism?
I agree that private planes are not good.
But I find an interesting paucity of comments on the Prince Charles environmentalism post when he is the royal with the highest footprint by far, versus the large amounts of comments on this one.
It’s a fact that Harry using a private plane is what people talk about more than any others, and that’s what the royal reporters want, frankly.
@Maria agreed and that’s part of my issue with people focusing on Harry even in this thread – I know the story is about the press criticizing him, but even so, compare that to the comments on the post about Charles, where his carbon footprint is minimized because “he is an environmentalist.” When people participate in the attacks against harry, they are just giving energy to those attacks – EVEN if Harry should not be taking private jets, because no one should, when we play into that we are playing into the british media’s hands.
If that makes sense lol. But IMO the responses SHOULD be full of “What about Charles’ plane usage” or “what about William’s helicopters” so that the DM et al know they are not off the hook in the eyes of the public.
When you criticize ALL the royals’ usage of private planes, and I’m looking at Charles and William, THEN you can hit Harry over the head with the proverbial stick. The hypocrisy of his being singled out is outrageous.
And I’ll add Kate to that as well for her own separate engagements.
Just because corporations play a huge role in climate change doesn’t mean we can all just collectively wash our hands of it and stop trying.
What we do as humans has very little impact on climate change. It’s the corporations and lax regulations that are the major contributors to the problem. People have been brainwashed to believe that they themselves are the source of the problem and that having a compost heap and a recycling bin is going to a huge impact on climate change. It isn’t.
@Amy — what we as humans do has EVERYTHING to do with it — corporations do what they do to keep up with our appetite for cheap, fast and disposable…everything.
Totally agree. It’s starts with individuals making it a priority and selecting leaders who reflect that, including thought leaders.
Yeah, I see this as a problem with wealth consolidation such that rich people all live in a bubble and can have private planes and never mix with the poors, etc. But to put this all on Harry is silly. He’s certainly not the worst offender and his heart is in the right place.
I see him as being different from the herd, being that he is not a regular celebrity who had a conscious choice in being part of showbiz. He was raised as a royal, which is different. Being a private citizen NOW, I believe he will get there eventually, but it’s not easy when there is constant vitriol and hostility thrown your way.
The rich live really wasteful lifestyles, it’s not just Harry. Once again, it’s a fair point that should be used in a larger discussion about the un-necessarily wasteful lifestyles of the rich who also style themselves as environmentalists, that is seems to get used again Harry.
Exactly. I say call them all out but constantly ONLY referencing Harry is annoying. Rich people do this sh!t all the time, it isn’t just Harry.
There was an Instagram story from someone that was there and so many people at the polo match were taking private planes. Even if Harry didn’t take one, they would still go after him for being associated with people that take private planes
Absolutely agree. We need to talk about this, not just about Harry and Meghan. This is not about the environment at all, as we very well know. As if the Daily Mail cares, they are just using it against Harry. At the same time, I see a lot of people going “well Charles does it too, or other celebrities do it too” which is also unhelpful whataboutism. While we are at it, all wealthy celebrities have wasteful lifestyles, and all wealthy non-celebrities too. And lastly, all us people living relatively privileged lives in industrialised countries are living very wasteful lives…
You’l only see this mentioned in news of in the daily fail only in reference to Harry and Meghan, believe me. you have to create your own news agency then.
Respectfully disagree but for different reasons. As a normie, would you want to be on a plane with an ex-Foreign Dignitary, former high profile Afghanistan vet, and controversial celebrity all rolled into one?
I don’t. I don’t want paps or kidnappers or anyone really disrupting my flight to get at Harry or any other famous person.
Get on your private plane and leave me out of your commute.
When a ‘special’ person is on a plane the security is even tighter. Lots of famous people don’t fly private and just sit in first class and it’s been fine. Don’t see what why Harry (and the rest of the RF) can’t do the same.
I live in my country’s capital and have taken several flights with the leaders of our government, it’s never a big deal.
who is paying for that tighter security you mention? Who is checking the plane and reviewing who gets on board? Harry is a private citizen and doesn’t have the power to do that anymore than you or I can do, so…
Definitely bad for the environment but can’t say that I wouldn’t do it if I could!
Also the airport in Aspen is quite small and I can’t imagine they have too many direct commercial flights between there and Santa Barbara. Everyone I know that has been to Aspen has to fly into Denver and either take a different plane or bus to Aspen.
The airport in Aspen is really small, and there’s not that many direct flights, even from LA. Especially during the summer in the off-season. He would have had to transit from Denver in a really small plane, or drive over 3 hours from Denver. This doesn’t seem so bad to me?
oh FFS — United flies in to Aspen in a regional jet several times a day, it isn’t like he would need to take a 40 year old Cessna over the mountains.
I was also wondering if he flew in the same plane as the polo ponies.
I can’t even get into whether Harry is being hypocritical here because the press is silent about Charles and William and their private planes and helicopters.
But does this mean we’re going to get a picture of William and Kate on FlyBe again??
I really don’t see who in their right mind would fly commercial if they didn’t have to. I can be sure Willy and Katie keen didn’t fly commercial on their summer holiday to wherever the heck they went. And why we are at it how exactly did dear prince Chucky get to Scotland? Like you said Becks, no one is asking these questions.
If I could afford it, I would. My son is 11 and can’t be vaccinated yet. I have made the choice not to fly, even though I’m fully vaccinated, because I don’t want to bring Covid home to him. I don’t blame Harry even slightly, with his two much littlers.
The royals for many years made use of the Duke of Westminster’s private jet. Kate and William used it. The current Duke of Westminster is George’s godfather, probably so that they could continue getting such favours. Anyway a lot has changed since George was born, and now the Cambridge’s cannot be seen near a private jet, including George. But they do however make frequent use of the helicopter.
Ive Just checked and that is a 20+ hr road trip, so i reckon the impact on the environment will be just about the same. needless to say this isnt about taking a private jet its more about him doing anything at all. because the alternative to going to colarado is not going at all. so they are just criticising him for being him
If Harry drove the 20 hours home the Daily Mail would have an article on him driving a GAS GUZZLING car. If Harry walked home they would have an article on how his SHOES ARE BAD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT. They will always attack him.
Exactly right!
Maybe he should have just rode his horse home and shut them up entirely.
Oh wait…
But the carbon footprint of him taking a private plane vs a full commercial flight is what’s notable. Nobody is saying don’t fly–don’t fly private.
The plane belongs to somebody else. Even if he did not take up the offer, the plane still up in the air.
The plane belonged to A polo friend(I think) Harry hitched a ride. If Harry wasn’t on that plane, it still would have been used. If Harry flew commercial, The friends plane still would have been used. It’s not Harry’s plane. Harry has NEVER said to not fly private, because he knows he does from time to time. For the most part, he flies commercial. But he did say he would fly private for safety if he needed it.
Yes. That is correct. The point is that nobody should be using private planes. Harry, polo friend, anyone.
Then let’s ban all planes, all vehicles, pretty much everything. We live in a modern world. It’s impossible to do this 100%. It just is.
Yes. Clearly, I said ban all planes. That was a logical jump. Oy.
Then why ban just private planes? That’s a bit dramatic ( which was my point) All planes, vehicles and electricity are bad for the environment. And those are just a few examples. I know you want to ban private planes but what about certain countries that need food and medical supplies? They need private planes and helicopters to deliver these essential items.
It is very legal to fly privately, and no one is breaking any laws. Contact your representative in Congress and propose legislation to ban private jets if you really feel that passionate about it. My city and many others are going to ban natural gas, so no more gas stoves, gas furnaces or gas fireplaces in newly built homes. Will be all electric going forward. I think we’ll get to keep our bbq grills. We’ve already banned wood burning fireplaces.
Interesting read.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/douggollan/2019/08/22/private-jet-travel-is-greener-than-you-think/?sh=5990b2766745
The private helicopter of Keenbridge has joined the chat…
Lol. Thanks I needed that.
+1
How much do planes cost? I really want them to buy their own damn plane and really piss the RRs off. I can donate $5, guys!
So I think there are a few models of “private planes.” One is that you own the plane outright, but this also means you have to outfit it with pilot, support crew, fuel, etc. The other is belonging to a charter club, which sells various tiers of service and have a fleet of “private” planes. They take care of everything, including all the complex stuff like FAA regs and all that.
It’s an industry for the wealthy. I think starting packages for some charter clubs average around $250K? You get a certain number of miles. I don’t remember everything— had to look this stuff up for a client a while back. Now for royals, I’m sure they have a legit private fleet that they own.
I don’t think the royals have a private fleet of planes, but they have at least two helicopters they can use (don’t know if TOBB’s is one of them). Them borrowing private planes from rich friends (the duke of Westminster) has been mentioned several times. There’s a VIP jet both the royals and government officials can use on official trips.
My brother in law got his pilot’s license year s ago and shared a small plane with a friend to cut costs. He makes a good living, but not ridiculous money and didn’t indulge in anything else expensive. It was the most marvelous thing when my mother was living with us during her last years and he could fly up to get her so they could give us a little break for a couple of weeks now and again. I loved seeing her sitting in the passenger seat, putting on her headphones, getting ready for a little adventure vs. a long boring drive that would leave everyone involved stiff and sore. Getting her up through that little door became more difficult and the last trip home had to be by car because of a cracked bone, but it was a wonderful thing to have had available.
He got a horrible virus in the fall of 2019, that was at least Covid -like. It was thought he had pneumonia. A scan of his lungs was clear, but showed his heart was enlarged and he was in heart failure. Thankfully, he is doing much better but he will never be able to pass the physical to fly again. He bought a 60s Corvette with his share of the plane. He can’t even get my sister to ride in it 😂
Seriously? Let’s deliberately contribute towards something harmful for the environment and fund-raise for a millionaire just to spite some gossips in Britain? Do you go to one of those churches that raise money for their pastor’s yachts?
@Larisa- I had a long passionate defense laid out but honestly it’s not even worth it.
Gah! I’d pony up ten just to have them all spontaneously combust at the gall. I’d love to see it.
Literally all rich people do this. Prince Charles took a private plane to Davos. Leonardo DiCaprio probably hasn’t been on a commercial flight for a decade.
Charles only travels by private jet so the Daily Mail get cracking on those think pieces criticising their great friend and next heir to the throne. Oh and it’s good to remember all the times last year the same press was pleading with Harry to take a private jet to visit his grandparents.
We could all go green and over 70% of greenhouse emissions will still come from businesses and corporations. Harry was talking to those people not the average person on the ground about not flying private planes 🙄
The plane belongs to his polo friend. 1, was he offered a ride by the friend already going to Aspen. 2, wait, I thought Harry lost all friends and was longing for his real HOME.
If he was hitching a ride on a plane that was already going to/from Aspen, then that’s more like carpooling, right?
Lizzie..this is the point. The RR can’t get over the fact that Harry has a life outside of the the RF. They assumed he would fail and be miserable. Harry at a Polo event and raising money for Charities goes against the Harry narrative.
Not only does Charles continue to take private jets and helicopters while telling working families to reduce their carbon footprint, he also writes about it in the Daily Mail, which is totally cool because it’s not guest editing Vogue. I refuse to click on it, but my source is Omid Scobies Twitter.
It was not HIS private plane. He was a guest on a plane chartered by someone else. Big difference.
Would you please explain why people complain about air travel when it is our only way of traveling long distances in a short time?
There is no direct flight from LA to Aspen right now, their are direct flights in Ski season.
Driving and the generation of electricity are still the real culprits. But sure lets just blame Prince Harry for all the pollution in the WORLD!
Or we could just blame him for taking a private plan, as we are doing because he actually did?
It’s hard to read this thread and see endless whataboutism. Just because Prince Harry is your favourite, doesn’t mean this is ok. Just because he’s being unfairly targeted, doesn’t mean this is ok. No-one should fly private. Not Harry, not any royal family member, not politicians. It is obscenely wasteful and unnecessary and our planet is literally dying, so I think it’s ok to criticise the rich who guzzle endless resources.
I’m sure I’ll get comments to the tune of ‘what about Prince Charles?’, ‘Bub do you live in a box and only eat vegan and use negative electricity each month?’ Honestly I don’t care. This stuff makes me angry and I’m allowed to be angry.
And yes, I’ll go comment the same on the same Prince Charles thread if that will make people happy. But jeez.
Red herring.
It’s not whataboutism. I mean it is lol, but dismissing it as that overlooks the very real issue that Harry is unfairly targeted on a daily basis by the press and they continue to do it because IT WORKS. If they have their large audience convinced that Harry is the problem, Harry is the hypocrite, Harry is the issue – then that audience isn’t criticizing Charles or William.
And they don’t, not even on here. On here, there are always a few token remarks about William’s helicopter usage or “how did Charles get to Davos anyway” but NEVER anything like the tone of some of these comments, as if climate change is a problem because Harry takes private jets.
Charles uses private jets a lot more than Harry and William loves his private helicopter, so no, I dont think its whataboutism to remind people there is an old saying about glass houses (since this story definitely comes from William.)
Or you could point out the hypocrisy of Harry being attacked for hitching a ride on a private jet when his father and brother fly private at the UK taxpayers expense and both promote environmental issues as their raison d’être.
Attack all of them on the use of private jets or else this is a bs take. Especially when it’s the Daily Mail, who just published an article from prince environmentalist himself.
But of course all these new handles will pretend it’s “whataboutism” instead of acknowledging the obvious hypocrisy of the DM.
I know right? People who likely drive cars everywhere are working themselves into a lather about someone carpooling or plane-pooling. They’re calling someone catching a ride on a plane which would have gone to Aspen wasteful. Again, until I see stories about the others I’ll pass on the outrage.
The entire royal family uses private planes. Harry isn’t any different. Honestly-rich people all do this. They say one thing, do another. Us little people aren’t the real culprits of these issues, I mean in small ways we are but really. People like the RF, Harry, and the 1 percent do what they want and we all pay for it. Look at Leonardo DiCaprio. Preaches about the environment but uses a private plane and loves yachts LOL
This is the truth. They are ALL hypocrites. Harry, Leo, Charles… the list is ridiculously long. “Do as I say, not as I do.”
Right. I don’t have favorites here, all of them do it, and ALL should be called out for it. I’m tired of it.
They should all be called out for it and yet it only happens to Harry and Meghan in the UK tabloids. Gee I wonder why.
Right. The UK tabloids really should focus on all the Epstein owned private jet flights Andrew took.
He shouldn’t be doing this, but I would like to point out that Prince Charles penned an op-ed exclusively for The Daily Mail this weekend about climate change (Omid Scobie noted in his tweet that the DM is an “outlet [Charles] trusts”), and he uses more private jets than anyone else in the Royal Family. That demonstrates that this criticism of Harry is hypocritical; they don’t care about the actual issue or reporting on it fairly, they just want to get in their digs specifically at Harry. I believe Harry and Charles are both sincere in their advocacy on this issue. William too, for that matter. I just don’t think they see why they should have to make changes to their own lifestyles. They’re not making that personal connection, not unlike many other rich people.
Exactly right, Jessica. They all do it and none of them should.
Citing Harry as a specific example of the hyprocrisy of taking a private plane, while warning against the dangers of environmental catastrophe, is a very specific cudgel the DM is using to bash him while failing to bash the next in line and Baldimort, the Blessed FFK equally.
It’s gross all around but let’s not pretend Harry isn’t being specifically targeted here to grease the wheels of their anti-Sussex narrative.
Bio fuels are terrible and a scam to put money in the pockets of wealthy farmers. Sure there is eco potential, but to do it reliably and at scale inevitably ends up causing more harm than good. Europeans are cutting down forests in the US South and calling it “bio fuels”. Disaster for climate change.
Curious about ‘Europeans cutting down forests in the US South’. How does that work, exactly? Are they buying private timberlands?
Like Lili above, I checked out the distance between Aspen and Montecito as well as London and the South of France. Obviously, the American distance is not only greater, but there are far less options in regards to public transport (ie, taking trains from London to various destinations in Southern France is totally doable if unlikely for Harry). So if you draw a circle of about 1600 km from London, now all you need to do is check out how often eco warriors William and Charles take plane-free travel and compare that with Harry. Hahaha.
William can’t even take the train from London to his country home in Norfolk, he has to take the helicopter every time.
While Kate uses the helo regularly to fly from Norfolk to Berkshire to visit mummy and Pippa. And taxpayer pay for it. She’s known for using the helo for work events when the trains are available, just like William always opts for helo over ground transport.
When she went to pose with boxes for charity she took the helicopter when it was a drivable distance of a few hours. There were no daily Mail articles criticizing her for using a helicopter for a photo op.
Sing it loud for those in the back!
I ain’t mad at Harry, if I had access to a private plane I would be on it every time I traveled. William says hi from his helicopter.
Not sure bragging that you would gladly do something harmful for the planet if you could is the way to go.
And I’d be right there with you, Over it. The hypocrisy of these car drivers! They’re so pure.
We need to start shaming all this unnecessary travel by the famous and wealthy, not just the private jets. Fuck JLo and Ben for having multiple houses and jetting between them every weekend. Fvck all this flying around for weekend getaways. And fvck all this business travel. Ban frequent flier miles and fvck anyone who has them.
It stopped for the pandemic and it shouldn’t start up again.
Yes! The amount of air travel is insane.
That’s the spirit! Seriously, stop with the whataboutism! DM could be wrong for singling out Harry, but Harry is still wrong, as is his plane-owning pal. Excusing Harry to spite DM is insane when the planet is burning. Shame them all, don’t excuse your favorite celebrity or brag that you’d do the same if you could. Be better!
I will be ok with criticizing Harry when everyone flying is shamed. How many articles shaming people who fly private are there this week?
@ennie – and how many articles have there been about JLo and Affleck where people ooh and aahh and say “omg they’re so great, I’m so glad they’re back together, this is such good gossip” as they’re on a yacht in capri (and I’m sure flew private to get there?) And I was one of them!
People only bring this energy when its Harry.
Pointing out hypocrisy by the DM in this issue by only singling out Harry for it is not excusing him or whataboutism. That you could tinge to ignore how only one person is being singled out for the use of private jets and not the others in his family is disingenuous.
Exactly this. Flying is THE most environmentally damaging mode of travel and no one should be taking more than two non-emergency plane trips each year, whether commercial or private. The ideal number of flights per year is ZERO because every single mile flown causes harm.
My own family members rage about evil republicans destroying the planet while they casually rack up the air miles with weekend getaways. We’re all hypocrites to one degree or another when it comes to the environment, but cancel-culture (aka public-accountability) is coming for our personal consumption choices too. Comfort and convenience doesn’t justify harm.
Just like racism this is both a systemic and an individual problem. Everyone has a moral responsibility to make changes in their own lives. Blaming “the system” and “the corporations” doesn’t absolve individuals from the damage that they choose to do.
There is hilarious irony in the Fail publishing this the same day that Charles, who is notorious for flying private literally everywhere, had an article published in the Fail “lecturing” about the environment. I must have missed the multiple angry articles from them after he wrote that article.
I’m also not a big fan of private jet use but in this imstance given the fact that it belonged to another polo player who was there Harry probably just carpooled with them. Id be more annoyed if he chartered it for himself but if the plane was already going to be making the trip because someone else is on it i dont see the big deal of boarding that vs taking a commercial flight.
They just need something to nitpick because Harry raised more than £3 million for Sentabale in his polo match on Thursday while William barely brought in £500k at his charity polo match last month.
I saw a video of the parking lot of private planes that were there for the event.. it amazes me the hypocrisy. I bet they pay for satellite images of the Sussex’s property looking for signs of a helicopter so they can use that against them.
Would I like everyone to never use planes, cars and monitor their carbon footprint better, of course, but I do understand the improbability of that especially for security issues others might have that I know nothing about.
Until there is a helicopter parked in the Sussex’s back yard they really need to just let it go…
Many environmentalists rack up huge air travel footprints. It’s the nature of the beast. As far as the private plane goes, maybe he wouldn’t need one if his security costs weren’t astronomical due to his family’s and the BM’s constant egging-on of people with bad mental health? Maybe the pandemic played a role in that decision? Maybe his polo friend was already planning to fly there private, and this was economizing among the wealthy lol? Maybe we need to start understanding that just because a person, whether it’s Harry or anyone else at all, is imperfect in what they do, that doesn’t mean they are hypocritical. It means they’re doing their imperfect best. You don’t have to be the Mother Theresa of environmentalism to be an environmentalist. You have to keep trying to do your best to have an impact on your personal environment and the wider world.
Many “wealthy and celebrity” environmentalists rack up huge air travel footprints – most normal people who try to live sustainable eco-friendly lives aren’t travelling by private plane regularly.
It’s not about being perfect, but about the fact that the wealthy set live hugely wasteful lives and then try to position themselves as the leaders/faces of environmentalism. it’s bullshit.
Define regularly, at least in terms of ,Harry. He’s flown commercial on his trips to the UK and like pretty much everyone else uses Zoom.
Rich people acting like rich people. Who is shocked by this story? Absolutely no one becomes or stays uber wealthy without the exploitation of both people and resources. So expecting the wealthy to practice what they preach to us peons is a futile expectation. It doesn’t even make me mad. Just resigned.
Best comment on this thread!
it still makes me angry. They love to tell us what to do but they can’t practice what they preach to us.
Are you even practicing what you preach( stares guiltily at plastic container in trash can)? It’s rarely about what we’re actually doing , but how bad we feel about it or how smugly virtuous we can feel compared to the corrupt and wealthy. Meanwhile we fight tax increases and bond measure to expand public transportation or don’t back actual legislation and candidates who effect real change.
If Harry was the only passenger on that plane, then yes, shame him. But I strongly doubt he was. I have to float plane to our home in the Bahamas, but that is almost always coupled with supply pick ups so we don’t don’t waste a trip. And I just found out that our small fleet of boats all just got retrofitted/equipped with solar engines!!!
There is no concrete evidence that he was on board! No pictures!
Even if he drove to Denver and caught a flight here, they’d still bitch about it.
Frankly, the only ones doing the criticizing are the haters in the UK and other fools elsewhere who gobble up their poison. Nobody else is counting Harry’s pennies. Also Hypocrisy thy name is the Daily Mail.
Charles JUST PENNED a cringeworthy op ed on the environment, also posted on his RF webpage referring to that rag as an outlet HE TRUSTS.
I think people are missing the forest for the trees.
Harry rode on a plane that belonged to the two other members of his polo team. It would already be flying, so he ‘carpooled’ that’s the first point. Nothing hypocritical about that, we also do not know if there were carbon offsets involved.
Secondly, this hit piece wasn’t about Harry flying private. It was an attack because Harry raised so much more money than William at his charity polo match. Guards Polo Club posted that William raised £500,000 ($690,000) for his eight charities. The Cambridge bots were pushing how successful William was without Harry all over Twitter.
Then here comes Harry, a month later, playing with Nacho, raising £2,600,000 ($3,500,000) including having enough cash to throw in £1,100,000 of his own money.
The private plane story is from Mr. Incandescent. Every time Harry excels at something, surpasses William there is a story trying to tear Harry down. Instead of William being a hero to his eight charities, his charity haul seems rather paltry compared to the millions Harry raised for just Sentebale.
The plane story is to keep people from comparing the relative success of the brothers and their charity polo matches.
TL;DR. William planted private plane hit job to distract from fact that Harry’s polo match raised phenomenally more money for Sentebale than William was able to raise for his 8 charities.
This story absolutely came from William. Harry’s success at the polo match embarrassed and enraged him.
Re: the embarrassment and enragement – I love to see it!
William’s karmic debt is clearly going to be paid out on the installment plan.
This right here. I knew a story like this was coming and here it is. It always leads back to TOB. Harry playing polo was everywhere and he didn’t even have to give advanced notice. Not only did Harry raise millions, he donated nearly two of his own. William could/would never.
Love everything about this comment and agree with every word. Biggest point is — if Harry hopped on a flight with other people going to the same event, then I have no problem with it. It was already going, so what’s the issue?
And yes — at the base of this is hate and jealousy that Harry showed up William. Again.
Now, I feel bad since I totally forgot Baldingham had played polo and raised money for charity. Sorry, TOB!
That makes sense. And we know they work with the DM because Charles just penned an article for them.
@Lola-Absof$ckinglutely!
If I could only ride on private plane I would too. Because the airport experience is so awful and plane interiors have been engineered too tight for comfort. How I wish someone could put money into airports to make them a humane experience and regulate airplanes to a minimum amount of seating space.
Well, maybe Harry would be more amenable to flying commercial if his family and the BM would stop smearing him and Meghan every chance they get. The non-stop criticism and “outrage” riles up the haters, posing a genuine security risk. Also, it sounds like he didn’t contract the flight himself; he hitched a ride with somebody else. If somebody offered ME a ride on their private plane, I’d take them up on it, too!
People can criticise people for using private jets but do it for all of them. Don’t reserve all you ire for Harry. Most people on here aren’t admittedly but I just wanted to put that out there.
Sofia, exactly this. So many super wealthy people fly private. DiCaprio has been flying private all while being an outspoken environmental activist for a long time. This is, again, another tactic by the tabloids. Stirring up ire wherever they can for the Sussexes, holding them to an impossible standard they hold no one else to. And people fall for it all the time.
Nope, this is completely legit criticism no matter who it is leveled at. Private planes should be banned period. We are in a looming planetary catastrophe. Again, period.
All planes should be banned.
That’s never gonna happen and I certainly hope that’s not the case. California has been trying for 20+ years to get a high speed rail system put in, with so many lawsuits, objections and cost overruns and cutbacks. It’s a Sisyphean feat and frustrating when this country is perfect for bullet trains. That said, Harry has traveled extensively, will continue to travel extensively and they will involve planes, including private. Americans just don’t get outraged about this the same way for reasons good and bad. I think a lot of us care about the carbon footprint of jets, private and commercial but this specific outrage is because this one person, Harry, took a private jet. Every time he travels, it’s the same spiel and it had nothing to do with what he says about the environment. It’s about trying to get him to shut up or to be more accessible and visible to the tabloids.
Agreed Amy. All planes and while we are at it, all vehicles. We shouldn’t be using electricity as well. The list could go on and on.
@Amy Bee
in our global age, banning all airplanes means some people will never get to see their families, because an American vacation certainly cannot accommodate a sea crossing.
Well I love to fly, I for one think it would be ridiculous to ban all flying, people need to get places and not all these places are accessible by walking or biking or driving. I have never lived in the stone ages nor do I plan to ever go there. All you complaining about Harry flying and people using private jets . Emissions fuel and all this other stuff. Do you also complain when you need to charge your devices like your phone and iPad and laptops? I didn’t think so . So really stop acting like you want to return to life before civilization. It’s exhausting
yeah, right. That’s impossible. what would people do? go by boat to see your family from Japan to America?or lose your job or never ever see them again?
yea, kill places that live mainly of tourism already. What options do you give to them?
And if you live in Australia or new Zealand you, what, swim?
Never mind waiting three months for things to arrive by boat (which used to be standard time for fast shipping)
What are you – crazy, Amy Bee? These people only want to ban the mode of transportation they don’t get access to.
@Darla, I know you’re not a Sussex fan. 🙂 But to me, this is another example of how easy it is for the British tabs to stir up anti-Sussex sentiments. Private planes are of course an issue. But Prince Harry isn’t the only one who flies private or the only one who cares about the environment and flies private. Again, people find ways to be like “see! They suck!” about the Sussexes while not holding others to the same standard.
While we are indeed facing a looming planetary catastrophe as you say, there are root causes that have nothing to do with an individual flying private (as others on here have mentioned). @Ginger accurately points out the ridiculousness of stories like this.
Green I’m not a fan of any of these folks, I don’t single them out. I consider all the royals to be useless, self-pitying idiots. As for private planes I stand by what I said, ban them all.
@ Green Desert
Just because they aren’t sole contributors to the problem doesn’t mean they are absolved of contributing. Rather than defending Harry, let’s sic on William and Charles. Happy to contribute to that.
Darla – point taken. To me the thing that separates them from the rest of the royals is the racism angle. Being impacted in such a profound way by racism (including having suicidal ideation) and talking about it is not typical royal self-pitying. That may not be what you’re talking about. But I balk a little at the both-sides-ism arguments when it comes to these people. There are some who have done things that are far worse than others.
@Larisa, I completely agree with you about holding others to the same standard.
@Darla – then how would food and medical supplies get delivered to disaster zones? How would the military be able to go to..for instance..Haiti to help clean up the rubble and re-house the now homeless? How would the people of Afghanistan get out of a war-torn and dangerous situation as the Taliban starts the wanton killing of thousands of citizens? How would severely injured people get medi-vacked from serious accidents? I agree that much flying is frivolous, especially amongst the rich and famous, but seriously, there is a NEED for flights on a daily basis.
The DM couldn’t care less about the damage to the environment, just like they don’t actually care about how many bathrooms there are in Montecito. It’s the fact that Harry has “millionaire friends” that are willing to help him, and somebody is mad jealous and doesn’t think Harry and especially Meghan, deserve nice things. End of story.
Exactly, and that’s the real hypocrisy.
Doesn’t mean we don’t actually care? Or that we shouldn’t? Since when do we make decisions and form opinions based on what DM does?
No it means you only care when its about Harry. So keep reaching.
If Harry is going to talk the talk he MUST walk the walk. I do research in in Louisiana. I live in NYC. I took a train to Jacksonville and then drove West from there. It took over 20 hours. I have committed to not flying because the planet is on fire. Harry must stop; all of the uberwealthy people must stop. A tiny percentage of people are responsible for the vast majority of global warming. Taking one long flight erases a year’s worth of not driving (for those who monitor their carbon footprint). Flying emits carbon into the atmosphere in a way that is much more damaging than other forms of emissions. Just skip the polo match period. No more.
I agree that there may be have been a more environmentally friendly solution but I don’t think it’s “skip the match”. He’s playing a match for charity, not because for the fun of it (although I’m sure he has fun) or to go party with friends. If the solution for places where you need to take a flight is “stay at home”, people wouldn’t be able to get anywhere.
Again, agree that there probably is a better solution than flights but staying at home isn’t nor is it practical.
So get rid of all flights? That polo match is not my world but cancelling doesn’t benefit me and the funds raised will benefit others. How do you propose we evacuate from Afghanistan? Camel train through the mountains? It must be so great to have your entire life in a 30 mile radius and 20+ hours of wagon training but most of us don’t. I’m 3000 miles from my parents. I get your outrage and your heavy lifting but I’m not getting on this particular pile on because it’s cynical and insincere.
All of this.
If Harry did not show up then he’d have been accused of “abandoning the team.” THe thing is in some tabs he is criticized no matter what.
When Jennifer says Harry must walk the walk, she means literally, from Santa Barbara to Aspen, through the mountains, similar to hiking the Camino de Santiago, preferably on his knees carrying a cross.
Oh please. Next we’ll argue that $5000-a-plate dinners are the only way to fund raise, it’s not that they WANT to have caviar, but they don’t want to be accused of not showing up to eat caviar?
@L4frimaire, and of course , food and other items will not get to you flying. Back to receive l packages with months of delay.
@Larissa I never said big fundraisers were the only way to donate and I’ll continue to chip in my $20 to causes and candidates I support, but if Harry sits on his ass for the rest of the year , it’s not going to improve your life or mine. This article is bullsh*t and the people writing it don’t care if their right wing supporters strip mine a mountain, as long as Harry doesn’t get near the top of it.
That’s great for those of you who have alot of time to take long trips. But for the rest of us with busy schedules and family life to balance, I need planes to take me to where I need to go to work so getting rid of them will only cause more gas emissions. Cars are just as bad! Especially those giant gas guzzling SUV’s, trucks, and vans people like so much. Public travel sucks big time in the USA – its extremely inconvenient, never on time, and sparse. I gave up long ago trying to navigate it (which is what the auto industry wants).
Also, unless someone specifically said they took Harry on their private plane or Harry said he took a ride on someone’s private plane or we see the accounting listing their travel (which we won’t because they are private citizens), we have no evidence he actually took a private plane versus a commercial plane.
Agree totally Jennifer and I applaud you for going to such lengths to avaid flying. Harry could more easily than you do the same as he has drivers (and be productive or relax on the trip.) As well as send a great message to the other private flyers at the event.
So many brand new names on here criticizing Harry, but never speaking up when W&K regularly use private jets and helos. Hmmm.
I feel like it’s Groundhog Day whenever we have these types of stories — folks sanctimoniously ripping on Harry, and then when it’s pointed out that they should reserve that same energy for the Will/Kate/Chuck/other celebrities it’s dismissed as “whataboutism”. It’s not as simple a solution as some seem to think.
Agree Nota. It’s ALL Harry’s fault but crickets for the others. Harry must skip the polo match but not William.
🎯 Nota. Also, no outrage from the taxpayers, when the Cain and Catty are using helicopters, or when Catty is showcasing a new frock.
Yep. I mean…Meghan hasn’t flown at all this year. Harry has made less than a dozen flights, but let’s call him out for 1 private plane trip when the Cambridges, Charles & Camilla have all flown to their respective haunts all freaking year long.
Amen!
Its probably Angela, Ingrid and those other harpies lol. Keep reaching folks, it builds arm strength.
If the Cambridges took the children on a private jet it would be oh so cute because the children were there and how George will be a future pilot like his father etc etc etc.
not “if”, they actually do, but we just do not know about it. They are now preemptively stopping going aboard for official vacation time (that we know of). Be sure that in the down low they are actually going places they are not telling, and these places are not close by, and neither they are going via public transport.
But they were totally silent about the 47 helicopter rides out of KP in 2020 during a pandemic. Mr Earthshit prize can do w.e he wants and still pretend he cares about the environment and ofc the British papers will laud him for it.
Yes, private planes have a rather large environmental impact but the reality of the matter is that on a personal level, even collectively, we can’t do anything to significantly impact climate change. Obviously we should still do our best but nothing will improve unless/until significant industrial changes are made. It’s yet another in a long litany of double standards where business is not held responsible (because capitalism?) while individuals are expected to be impeccable. Also see corporate welfare, tax breaks, bankruptcy, etc.
This this this, so much this 👏🏽👆🏽
Well, I can’t disagree with this, Coji.
The hypocrisy and unfairness of the press that’s condemning Harry for something all his family does doesn’t excuse Harry for failing to live by the principles he preaches to others. The 14 bathroom house, expensive cars, designer clothes, etc. are all not environmentally friendly. The recent flooding in Tennessee shows the dangerous path we’re on if everyone doesn’t reduce their carbon footprint.
He doesn’t preach his principles to others. When has he wagged his finger at the world and said “Thou shalt not fly private!!”? Remember his Travelyst initiative? How do you know that his home isn’t environmentally friendly? Have you seen it? Maybe it’s got a ton of solar panels. Maybe his vehicles are electric or at least hybrid. All clothing can be environmentally toxic, especially the cheap crap that China, India and Indonesia flood the market with, not to mention the workers who have to toil in dangerous, unsanitary situations for slave wages. Flooding in Tennessee isn’t the only problem. I live on the West Coast of Canada and we’ve had 1 day of rain in 3 effing months, the drought here is catastrophic. Fires are ravaging the interior. Europe has seen the worst floods EVER. This is a worldwide problem, not just a flood in Tennessee.
What about travelyst, (stupid name too!) it didn’t go anywhere or do anything – nor was it clear if it was a charity, business, or going to be effective. Kind of like the accusations that get leveled here against W+K’s early yrs project except even slower off the ground.
Travalyst still exists, obviously slowed down the roll out and projects because of COVID and global travel bans for almost two years. Visa, Booking.com, Trip.com are some of the big name partners.
It isn’t about decreasing travel overall, it is about conscious travel to spread out the load among popular tourist destinations. That’s why part of the launch was in Amsterdam, which is overrun with tourists most summers. The idea is to make travel to small, local destinations as popular as traipsing around big cities.
But no surprise at all that a known Sussex-hater doesn’t know the nature of one of Harry’s projects.
All airplane usage is about 9-15% of greenhouse emissions and private planes are a sliver of that. Cars and electricity are the biggest polluters. Harry’s house most likely has solar panels meaning his electric usage is far less than a smaller house.
Harry is a private citizen. His travel plans and his expense account is nobody’s business. Also since it is nobody’s business, we don’t know if he actually did any of those things since nobody has access to that information. We’re just playing pretend.
The working members of the royal family are not and they also preach environmentalism. They fly private planes and helicopters on taxpayers money and should be listed in their travel expenses. They live in expensive very large estates with multiple houses with 20 or more bathrooms paid for by the taxes on citizens. And yet nobody in the UK is bothered by that?
So should he live in a hut with no running water in order to abide by the environmentally friendly rules you claim he “preaches” at everyone? Please.
Darn it’s 16 bathrooms.
Isn’t everyone posting here with a plastic based tablet or phone that is bad for the environment? Or do you still have a Commodore 64 rigged up on a 24k baud rate dial up modem?
*SNORT* Thanks for the laugh!!
I’m assuming all powered with solar panels made from recycled glass and all reclaimed rare earth minerals and wires.
Screaming at “Commodore 64 rigged up to a dial-up modem” 🤣🤣
I’m definitely impressed by your knowledge of such antiquated technology.
Listen, people who advocate for the planet contaminate it as well, because it’s impossible not to do so. The point is that we all should be doing what we can, so in the long run, everyone contributes a bit to a great cause: the salvation of our planet and its species.
That being said, I think Harry is constantly being labeled a hypocrite and a lecturer on this topic because people took words of Dr Jane Goodall as his own.
Harry is a private citizen. Charles, William and the RF aren’t. The main problem is the world is over populated. There’s just too many people.
For anyone who thinks he should have driven instead, I’m guessing you don’t live in Colorado! The main road through the mountains (Interstate 70) has been periodically closed this summer due to mudslides. Monsoon thunderstorms rained too much on areas that have suffered through wildfires in recent years, resulting in literal tons of mud and rock covering the road. Any time it rains, the potential for another lengthy closure is there.
The main detour for vehicles traveling through the Rockies takes you up to the north, through some areas that don’t have great cell reception – and it adds many hours to the trip, through somewhat sketchy terrain. Just from a security standpoint, that’s not a great option, IMHO.
The USA is bigger than Australia, it is like a its own continent. Laughable that they try to impose the same standards. My country is big, too. I should refrain from ever see my family because that means I would have to lose my job every time I visited.
Australia is almost the same size as the lower 48. 2.95 mill sq mi VS 3.1m sqm. People don’t know how big that place is either
Yes, sometimes I wonder if these people complaining have actually tried to drive that distance in the USA? I only know people who did that for two reasons – vacation road trips or moving house. Sometimes the people who respond with the criticisms sound like they’ve never stepped foot in the USA.
Deleted
The comment I’m replaying to was deleted, however driving that route means there wouldn’t be enough charging stations. And just for a moment, ponder what would happen if there was a sudden deluge and the road got washed out. What would happen if some terrorist organization tracked him by drone and dropped an incendiary bomb on him. All these horrible things are possible because he’s got a target on his back — ever since he was in Afghanistan the threat to his life and his family’s has been real. He’s not using security threats as an excuse, it is a clear and present danger and being flippant about it is ridiculous.
I don’t know what the answer to flying on private planes is. Even without COVID, would any of us rely on the misery of commercial air travel if we didn’t have to? It’s one thing to fly in luxurious first class for the odd vacation. It’s another to require precision timing between appearances/meetings across time zones. Even luxurious first class is gonna arrive late as often as not. So maybe there needs to be more regulation for private travel. More justification of the purpose for travel (in general, not about Harry specifically) so there’s less “hey let’s just grab a plane and dine in Paris tonight – among the uber rich private plane owners but some jobs will still require frequent travel between private airports.
I know that Harry has supported conservation for a long time. He does a lot of work himself with African Parks. I mean he actually goes to Africa and participates in the work that the organization does. I believe he set up Travelyst to explore eco-friendly travel. He obviously supports whatever can be done to ameliorate the damage to the planet. I don’t recall a lot of “preaching” from Harry regarding the environment as in speeches, articles, etc. and btw, I don’t think Meghan has “preached” about the environment at all. Harry took two commercial flights for personal reasons, funeral and the statue unveiling. I suppose he could have just stayed home to avoid polluting the planet. I’m going to assume that travelling to Aspen via private jet was the most sensible, efficient , and safe way for him to get there and raise money for his patronage. It seems to me that Harry does a lot of personal fundraising for Sentebale, and that the foundation pretty much depends on him to bring in the finances to continue the work. Of course it’s not good to leave such a huge carbon footprint, but let’s at least be fair, and consider the many helicopter flights, not to mention the private planes and gas guzzling fleet of Landrovers of the Windsors. When was the last time the Cambridges or Charles took a commercial flight? I imagine the cambridges helicopter or fly between their residences. Apparently there were more helicopter flights than ever during the pandemic on William’s personal helicopter. Maybe next year, Harry will hold the Sentebale Cup in Santa Barbara. But a whole bunch of rich people might have to fly in to help raise a couple of million or so.
Imagine being criticized for the way you traveled after raising money to help children suffering . Especially considering your a private citizen. Perspective people. Harry is giving back. He is doing a hell of a lot more than I am, so I won’t criticize his mode of transportation because it’s none of my business, I am not paying for it and neither are tax payers. I am extremely grateful for all Harry has done and continues to do for sentabale
So Harry took a ride there in a plane that was going there anyway.should he “no man, I’ll take the greyhound bus or ride my bicycle?”
Apparently so. And if he did they’d find a way to disparage him for that too. He seriously can’t win either way with certain folks.
I think it’s hypocritical, mainly because he lectures us about the environment. It comes across badly. And yes I’m aware that other celebrities also do this. I feel the same about all of them
Show one report where Harry lectures you about the environment, you have a choice, so does he.
He’s never “lectured us” about the environment. He highlights environmental issues but given the fact he has a target on his back after his tours of duty in Afghanistan, his bi-racial wife and the general hatred from salty white Brits, he has every right to take a shared private plane to an event where otherwise he would have had to drive for 20 hours in a car. Do the math.
How has he lectured you? What exactly has he told you to do that you don’t want to? Who said you have to listen to him?
Full stop.
Let’s substitute Prince Charles in that comment, the pampered hypocritical eco warrior who never turns down a private flight and writes for the stately Fail.
Harry doesn’t lecture about the enviroment. Go educate yourself about the nature of the Travalyst program.
I’m confused. The headline here says “back and forth,” but is there anywhere that actually says how Harry got to Aspen? All the stories I’ve seen are about how he got a ride back to LA from a friend who has a private plane. I can see how that would work – “Hey, Harry. Don’t bother with the airport, I’ll give you a ride home.” I suppose Harry could have replied, “No thanks, your plane is bad for the environment.”
As stated Harry is a private citizen, although he is the face of Travalyst, a collaborative effort/non-profit for sustainable tourism, he never ‘lectured’ anyone about climate change. Showing concern about the climate is not a lecture.
This type of reporting is based on envy as a trigger, I am sure the are specific terms in communications. It is so obvious, as they note the price of the private jet.
The Fail lacks proper boundaries, seem ignorant to the difference between private and public in terms of citizenry. It is none of their business how rich citizens choose to spend their money and time.
This could have been a simple case of the unavailability of regular commerical flights to this particular area in Colorado. In which case, should he have biked, walked or drove to California?
Unsuprisingly, there is contradiction in bias, Harry’s security needs are different based on the hyper visibility due to the tabloid reportage in the last four to six years.
Travalyst isn’t about decreasing travel, it is about conscientious travel to spread out the load of tourism across the globe.
Fly commercial, do business and just do an early flight so not many people in airport or flight. You can still seem you are are with the people, be sighted, and have a quiet travel experience.
@gibby
Really, sounds simple, have you gave that opinion to the other royals or aristos?. I will be watching to see your comments like this on their post. No harm no foul, just be fair with your advice.
@ Ginny : exactly. Taking a commercial flight means there is no additional carbon footprint – the plane was going to fly anyway. And there had to be a lot of flights from LA to Aspen, two large cities.
Taking a ride on a private plane that is already traveling to a destination ALSO means there is no additional carbon footprint. Glad you were able to get to the crux of the matter after all the gnashing of teeth and rending of shirts.
Traveling on a plane that is already heading to a destination DOES NOT INCREASE THE CARBON FOOTPRINT.
That rule also applies if your wife is biracial.
People love to ‘pocket watch’ the interracial couple and hold them to a standard wholly different than they hold the other Royals to.
So much chatter about Harry & Meghan’s house, not a peep about the 700+ room Buckingham Palace, the multiple homes that the Cornwalls and Cambridges own. No one is writing think pieces about Prince Edward and his 120 room estate, Bagshot Park.
You all keep telling on yourselves. Regularly.
Fact is, this non-story is trending because William is upset and jealous that Harry’s charity polo match raised $3,500,000 for Sentebale, while he, the future future king was only able to raise $690,000 (£500,000) for eight of the Cambridge charities.
Aspen has fewer than 8000 residents year round, spread out across massive acreage so large Aspen is considered rural not urban by the US government. Non exactly a large city, eh?
Every day some random
rich person is flying on a private jet but Harry is the one who is responsible for the glaciers melting. The only other person who seems to trigger people this much with their access to private jets, their personal wealth or the houses they own is Obama. The main reason people get upset about what Harry has is because of the wife he shares it with. Jeez, I wonder why.
I know, L4Frimaire. They used to kvetch at Obama for taking flights to Hawaii at Christmas vacation too. I used to wonder, do you expect him to take a bus? Also, they always mentioned the TOTAL cost of the Obamas’ vacation rental. The actual Zillow value/purchase of the house he was renting. That would be like someone publishing the cost of my whole hotel simply because I was renting a room for two nights. They always have their hands in the pockets of people of color, or those who love them.
@ Debbie : but not every random rich person makes it his brand to be an eco-warrior like Harry does. That’s why it’s hypocritical. And when Charles or William do it (and I know for sure Charles does), then I’ll call that hypocritical too.
@still-sarah, Define eco warrior. Are you talking about the Redwood Summer activists who chained themselves to trees, or Earth First activists who had a car bomb go off on them, then had the FBI say they planted the bomb themselves ( look it up), or the Green Peace Activists whose boat was blown up by the French government? Where is Harry’s TED talk lecturing us on never flying and banning all fossil fuels. There are people who literally put their lives on the line for environmental justice but when you see expressions like “ eco-warrior ” it’s obvious this is not a serious topic for you and just used to score points against a rich dude you don’t like because he won’t play along by all the rules of the faded empire club.
Harry could have offset his travel by paying into a Carbon offset scheme like FlyNeutral. But we don’t know because that’s not reported. And it doesn’t make the same screaming headlines that DM like to write about him, does it?
“Harry offsets travel so he can fly to Aspen to raise funds for charity” doesn’t sound like a Daily Fail headline does it?
Prince Harry cares about this issue but the charge for climate change is being lead by Prince Charles and Prince William- I hope everyone screams when Charles and Will take private flights at taxpayer expense-The British taxpayer does not have to pay for Harry’s flights anymore-their garbage press need to be screaming at Charles the head leader-Harry has 2 very small children at home and he needs to be safe when traveling as well as Meghan-the British garbage press can kiss the Sussexes rear ends on this topic.
They may talk about it more but they’re not real leaders on addressing climate change. They will glom onto real activists,do the photo ops and hand out the prizes but when it comes to actual changes in the law, they’ll make sure they’re exempt from them.
I used to fly a lot before the pandemic for professional reasons, my parents and partner live in different continents. I’ve only flown 3 times to see my parents in 18 months and cannot wait to start flying and traveling again significantly. Both because of my personal set up and because I love to visit new places and meet new people . I’ll be damned if anyone tells me to cut down. I work hard and enjoy the fruits of my labor. My home is not quite a Harry and Meg style estate but it’s big and just me and my dogs. I work for it and I’ll enjoy it. Harry and Meghan are earning their own money whilst continuing to make a positive contribution to the world, let them live. In the words of the mighty Oprah, how does wearing a hair shirt yourself improve anyone else’s life.
Harry and Meg are rich rich rich and I say good!
Sooo having lived in CO, everyone is forgetting the fact it’s a loooong ass way from the Denver airport to Aspen. For real it’s like 4 hours one way on 1-70 assuming there’s no rock slides and the tunnel is open. When Independence Pass is open you could come at it from the east side, but it’s only open during the warm parts of the year and is still precarious and one lane around very tight hairpin turns. The Aspen airport exists for the wealthy to fly in, why do you think it’s been able to remain such a tiny ass town given its high profile? It’s basically impossible to get to.
Aspen and Telluride both, unless you fancy a nail-biting airplane landing through dueling mountain passes and huge crosswinds.
When Harry or Meghan speaks it’s labeled a lecture but when Charles or William speaks or Kate mumbles it’s like pearls of wisdom. I’m sure the Polo Assn provided the transportation for the players just like the NFL, NBA, MLB, NWBA, etc provides for its players, not to mention Corporations and Trump. It’s expected that the tabloids turn every Sussex story into a negative, but the gullible support and spread of the negative are what I find disappointing. They still don’t get it. Murdoch continues to win.
Thank you! That makes a world of sense but all the pious hand wringers will go on and moan about it.