Prince Harry and Meghan Markle labelled ‘hypocrites’ after jetting to Las Vegas

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's recent trip to Las Vegas has pulled into question their environmental commitments. Photo / AP

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are passionate about the environment and constantly encouraging others to lower their carbon emissions, which is why their latest move has resulted in harsh criticism.

After attending Katy Perry’s final Las Vegas residency show with their A-list friends - including Cameron Diaz, her husband Benji Madden and actress Zoe Saldana - the Californian-based royals have come under fire for how they travelled to Sin City: by private jet.

It has been widely reported the couple took a 40-minute flight on a Gulfstream jet with Hollywood producer David Katzenberg, billionaire Bumble dating app founder Whitney Wolfe Herd and her husband, oil heir Michael Herd, with many calling them “hypocrites”.

Meghan and Misha Nonoo dancing to Katy Perry's song 'Roar' at her concert 🎵 💃
(Harry was trying to follow too🤣) pic.twitter.com/DdeDWqdDaN

— Katerina 🇺🇦 (@Le__Katerina) November 5, 2023

Speaking to the Sun, royal biographer Angela Levin explained her reasoning for the criticism. “He set up this Travalyst charity, which was all about not using private planes.”

“He’s still their patron. I think he should get the sack,” she said, adding, “They think they have gotten so grand, they wouldn’t dream of taking a normal flight. They’ve got all these rich friends to pay for it. It’s worse than ‘do as I say, not as I do’, because he’s a patron of a charity.”

The sustainable travel company founded by Harry made headlines last year after choosing New Zealand as the launchpad for their first campaign to put sustainable choices on the radar for travellers.

Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, appeared in a video promoting Travalyst, a coalition to put sustainability at the top of the agenda for international travel. The video also stars Rena Owen, Rhys Darby and Dave Fane.

It was originally founded by the Duke of Sussex in 2019 and has since teamed up with online travel companies, including booking platforms Visa and Google, to help put more sustainable travel choices in front of holiday planners.

Harry has previously explained his choice to fly privately. In 2019, he said, “Occasionally, there needs to be an opportunity [to fly on private planes] based on a unique circumstance to ensure that my family are safe – it’s as simple as that.”

“For me, it’s about balance. It’s not a decision I would want to take, but if I have to do that, I will ensure that I balance out the impact that I have,” he added.