Elton John is in Meghan and Harry’s corner.

The singer is coming to the defense of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex after the royals faced criticism on their recent vacation. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly travelled to Nice, with three-month-old Archie in tow, via private jet, a move that took many by surprise as it seemingly contradicts their pro-environment stance.

After much backlash, the iconic singer – who is a long-time friend of the family and performed at the Sussex’s wedding—responded to critics in a lengthy Instagram post. Long story short? The family was staying in John’s private residence at his invitation, and he was the one who provided them with the jet. In an effort to honour the couple’s commitment to the environment, John said he ensured their flight was carbon neutral (typically done by calculating the number of greenhouse gases a flight generates, and then donating to a project that will offset that same amount).

 

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I am deeply distressed by today’s distorted and malicious account in the press surrounding the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s private stay at my home in Nice last week. Prince Harry’s Mother, Diana Princess Of Wales was one of my dearest friends. I feel a profound sense of obligation to protect Harry and his family from the unnecessary press intrusion that contributed to Diana’s untimely death. 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. To maintain a high level of much-needed protection, we provided them with a private jet flight. To support Prince Harry’s commitment to the environment, we ensured their flight was carbon neutral, by making the appropriate contribution to Carbon Footprint™ I highly respect and applaud both Harry and Meghan’s commitment to charity and I’m calling on the press to cease these relentless and untrue assassinations on their character that are spuriously crafted on an almost daily basis.

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“I am deeply distressed by today’s distorted and malicious account in the press surrounding the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s private stay at my home in Nice last week,” he wrote. “Prince Harry’s mother, Diana Princess of Wales, was one of my dearest friends. I feel a profound sense of obligation to protect Harry and his family from the unnecessary press intrusion that contributed to Diana’s untimely death.”

“After a hectic year continuing their hard work and dedication to charity, [my husband] David and I wanted the young family to have a private holiday inside the safety and tranquility of our home,” he added. “I highly respect and applaud both Harry and Meghan’s commitment to charity and I’m calling on the press to cease these relentless and untrue assassinations on their character that are spuriously crafted on an almost daily basis.”

Last month, Harry said he and Meghan want to have a “maximum” of two kids because of concerns about climate change.

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