The Sussexes have flown straight into a mountain of controversy.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are being branded “hypocrites” for using a private jet to get home after attending Global Citizen Live — an event in Manhattan last weekend that advocated for climate change action.
The Duke, 37, and Duchess of Sussex, 40, were spotted Saturday night arriving at an airport in Santa Barbara, Calif., after landing in a private plane.
The couple appeared happy as they gave hugs to members of their staff, including Mandana Dayani, the CEO of their Archewell organization.
Social media, however, was not amused.
“Harry and Meghan are at it again. They take a private jet back from a climate change event. Oh to be blissfully rich and blissfully virtuous. You really can have it all,” wrote one angry Twitter user.
The renegade royals showed up at the event on Central Park’s Great Lawn last Saturday to advocate for vaccine equality.
They called for the G7 and EU to donate at least 1 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses immediately for those most in need.
The event’s three main missions are to “defeat poverty,” “defend the planet” and “demand equity,” according to its website.
The Transport and Environment Organization reports that private jets are 10 times more carbon intensive than commercial airlines and 50 times more polluting than trains.
According to AFAR magazine, it costs anywhere between $1,300 and $3,000 to charter a small jet, between $4,000 and $8,000 for a midsize jet, and between $8,600 and $13,000 for a larger jet.
The social media backlash for Harry and Markle began after photos of the pair taking a private jet — again — surfaced online over the weekend.
“They lecture us on our carbon footprint while taking private jets to polo matches,” one person tweeted of the royal couple. “Hypocrites don’t unite people.”
Another remarked, “It’s the hypocrisy that really annoys people. Live your life how you want. But do not lecture others on saving the planet and then not follow your own advice. ‘We know better than you, and ARE better than you!'”
Reps for Harry and Markle did not immediately return Page Six’s request for comment.
Harry has been called out and had to defend his use of private planes in the past.
In 2019, the British royal claimed he took the ritzy aircraft in order to protect his family.
“I spend 99 percent of my life traveling by commercial,” he explained amid a tour for his environmental campaign. “Occasionally, there needs to be an opportunity based on the unique circumstance to ensure that my family are safe.”
