Elton John comes to Harry and Meghan's defense to 'protect' them from character 'assassinations'

Sir Elton John has come to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s defense. The Grammy winner spoke out in support of the royals following the backlash they received after taking a private plane to the South of France for a holiday—seemingly contradicting their stance on protecting the environment. However, the singer, who attended the couple’s 2018 royal wedding, set the record straight revealing that Archie Harrison’s parents used his carbon neutral aircraft for their trip to Nice.

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Sir Elton John came to Harry and Meghan's defense after their trip to Nice

“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 began. “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.”

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Elton continued, “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.”

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Harry and Meghan traveled Elton's private plane to France

The Rocketman artist concluded, “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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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex found themselves on the receiving end of criticism for taking private jets to Nice last week and Ibiza earlier this month for Meghan’s 38th birthday. The travels followed Harry’s reported speech on climate change at Google Camp, and a July social media post on the SussexRoyal acount that read: “With nearly 7.7 billion people inhabiting this Earth, every choice, every footprint, every action makes a difference.”

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The couple has stressed the importance of protecting the environment

In Vogue UK's September issue, the Duke interviewed Dr. Jane Goodall, discussing the "terrifying" state of the planet. Harry admitted that his perception of how we leave the environment for the next generation is different now that he has a child. “It does make it different. I think, weirdly, because of the people that I’ve met and the places that I’ve been fortunate enough to go to, I’ve always had a connection and a love for nature. I view it differently now, without question. But I’ve always wanted to try and ensure that, even before having a child and hoping to have children,” Harry said, adding, “Two, maximum! But I’ve always thought: this place is borrowed. And, surely, being as intelligent as we all are, or as evolved as we all are supposed to be, we should be able to leave something better behind for the next generation.”