Prince Harry sparks outrage after lavish trip details go public: 'Hypocrisy'
In late May, Harry made a surprise trip to Shanghai to speak at the Envision 2025 Global Partner Conference. The Royal Observer reported that he urged the travel industry to embrace eco-friendly travel and to reach previously set goals of halving carbon pollution by 2030.
"Now is the moment for the industry to reaffirm its commitment to being a force for good," he said. "The true measure of our commitment is how we respond when the path becomes difficult."
Harry spoke in his role as founder of Travalyst, a company that promotes sustainable travel by, among other things, helping to develop a tool that shows the carbon pollution of flights when people book travel online.
Some have speculated that Harry took a private jet from Los Angeles to Shanghai for the conference, although many news sources couldn't confirm that. But The Times reported that, even if he flew first class on a commercial flight, Harry likely created the equivalent of 7 tons of carbon pollution.
If he took a private jet — one of the most environmentally damaging methods of travel — the pollution likely was 10 to 100 times higher.
But no matter what plane he took, many critics were aghast that he would cause so much pollution and travel more than 12,000 miles round-trip for a brief appearance to promote sustainability.
"The irony of flying across the world to promote sustainable, environmentally friendly travel is hard to ignore," said royal correspondent Jennie Bond, per Sky News Australia. "Surely a video speech would have been more ethical?"
Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, have been outspoken climate activists and have pledged that their Archewell Foundation will reach net zero by 2030. Markle has also become known for her sustainable fashion choices.
However, this isn't the first time Harry has come under fire for his travel habits. When Travalyst launched in 2019, he defended his use of private jets, saying, per Time: "I spend 99% of my life traveling the world by commercial; occasionally there needs to be an opportunity based on a unique circumstance to ensure that my family are safe."
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But that justification doesn't hold up for everyone.
"In Harry's case, 'for thee, not for me,'" one commenter on X wrote.
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