Prince Harry faces calls to be SACKED from sustainable tourism initiative over private jet use with Meghan Markle
The Duke of Sussex flew to Las Vegas for a Katy Perry concert
PRINCE Harry is facing calls to be sacked from a sustainable tourism initiative over his private jet use with Meghan Markle.
The Duke of Sussex has been criticised for piling up air miles despite heading an environmental activism project.
Harry and Meghan have been called “eco-hypocrites” after travelling on a Texan oil heir’s private plane to a gig by pop star Katy Perry.
The royal couple jetted from California to Las Vegas on a Gulfstream aircraft, alongside friends including Hollywood star Cameron Diaz, her husband Benji Madden and actress Zoe Saldana.
Royal experts have said the prince should be fired from Travalyst, the eco-tourism organisation he helped launch in 2019.
Historian Angela Levin told The Sun: “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 added about the Sussexes: “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.
“This sort of behaviour is exactly why we call them eco-hypocrites.”
TalkTV presenter Kevin O’Sullivan joked on X, formerly Twitter: “Saving the planet one Katy Perry concert at a time!”
There was a further backlash on social media, with one commenter posting: “He is being hypocritical to fly everywhere by private jet.”
Others wrote “Actions speak louder than words”, “So much for eco credentials” and “Just remember this when they lecture us on climate change”.
Yet the couple were also defended by others, with one poster saying: “How it would save fossil fuel if Harry and Meghan drove to Las Vegas or took a commercial flight instead?
“The private jet was flying to Las Vegas anyway.”
The flight came just hours before Harry’s brother William flew to Singapore on a commercial British Airways flight ahead of the Earthshot awards.
Travalyst was described on its foundation four years ago as a “bold global initiative with the ambition to change the impact of travel, for good”.
And Harry last year told the United Nations that climate change was “wreaking havoc on our planet”, warning: “Our world is on fire.”
MISSING KING’S 75TH BIRTHDAY
His journey to Las Vegas was on a 2009 Gulfstream jet co-owned by oil heir Michael Herd, whose Texan tycoon grandad Bob died in 2019.
The plane emits about two tons of CO2 per hour, compared to an average Brit producing 8.2 tons each year.
Herd and billionaire wife Whitney Wolfe, chief executive and founder of dating app Bumble, have become pals with the Sussexes in their California hometown of Montecito.
He was seen near Harry and Meghan at the last performance of Perry’s Vegas residency, where other guests included Celine Dion.
Herd confirmed the journey with the royal pair, saying: “We just went to dinner and to see Katy’s last show – they’re nice people.”
When asked about criticism of the pair for using a private jet, he said: “I don’t have any comment, I’m not them.”
Harry has defended in the past his use of private flights.
He said in 2019: “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 that my family are safe.”
The not-for-profit firm Travalyst has big-name corporate partners including Expedia, Google, Skyscanner, TripAdvisor and Visa.
Its website declares: “We believe tourism can, and must, play a key role in achieving a sustainable future for our world.
“We’re convening the key players and catalysing the necessary action to change the impact of travel for good.
“We are committed to being a driving force that redefines what it means to travel, helping everyone explore our world in a way that protects both people and places, and secures a positive future for destinations and local communities for generations to come.”
Sustainable tourism is said to involve travelling to countries for holidays but buying directly from locals or visiting conservation sites.
This latest trip came as it was revealed Harry won’t be travelling to Britain for his dad King Charles’ 75th birthday celebrations next week.
The Sun Online has contacted Travalyst as well as Harry and Meghan’s representatives for comment.
Harry and Meghan founded their non-profit organisation Archewell in 2020, the same year they stepped back from frontline royal duties and moved to the US.
Last year they donated to charities in support of the people of Ukraine following the invasion by Vladimir Putin‘s Russia.
