Prince Harry and Meghan Markle came under fire recently after a stint of back-to-back private jet flights, but the royal is determined to set the record straight.
The 34-year-old was in Amsterdam on Tuesday to launch Travalyst, a new global initiative striving to change the impact of travel in partnership with Booking.com, Ctrip, Skyscanner, Trip Advisor and Visa.
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While there, the new dad addressed his and his wife’s recent private flights to Ibiza and Nice, which reportedly created seven times the normal amount of carbon emissions.
Speaking to the audience, the royal said: “I came here by commercial. I spend 99 per cent of my life travelling the world by commercial. Occasionally there needs to be an opportunity based on a unique circumstance to ensure my family are safe and it’s genuinely as simple as that.”
“As I said in my speech, it is about balance. If I have to do that, and it’s not a decision I would want to take, I would ensure, as I have done previously and I will continue to make sure I do, is balance. I have always offset my CO2,” he continued.
Earlier that day, the Duke of Sussex discussed the importance of sustainable travel while announcing the release of the green travel initiative.
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“We could all do better. While no one is perfect, we all have a responsibility for our own individual impact,” he said. “The question is what we do to balance it out.”
Travalyst aims to help minimize companies’ environmental footprint, as well as protect and preserve local environments, welfare and cultural heritage, Booking.com’s chairwoman, Gillian Tans, said.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were first criticized after they flew in a 12-seater Cessna plane to the South of France to enjoy a summertime break at Elton John‘s home.
A week prior to that, the family of three celebrated her 38th birthday with a six-day trip in Ibiza.
John later took to Twitter in the couple’s defence, saying he’d provided the jet for safety reasons.
“After a hectic year continuing their hard work and dedication to charity, David and I wanted the young family to have a private holiday inside the safety and tranquility of our home,” he wrote. “To maintain a high level of much-needed protection, we provided them with a private jet flight.”
The 72-year-old went on to say that he made sure the flight was carbon neutral, having made an appropriate contribution to Carbon Footprint, an online tool that helps calculate carbon footprint and how to offset it.
Prince Harry has been dedicated to environmental welfare for many years.
He’s been known to frequent Africa to bring awareness to rhino poaching, among other causes. One of his and Duchess Meghan’s first trips as a couple was to Botswana.
The couple will bring baby Archie on a royal tour to South Africa, and Prince Harry will make stops in Malawi, Angola and Botswana, places his late mom, Princess Diana, also famously visited.
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