[BLANK_AUDIO] [MUSIC]
Sir Elton John is slamming the backlash against Meghan Markle and Prince Harry after they took a private jet to their vacation.
The singer, who was close friends with Princess Diana, spoke out on Twitter after the couple and their son traveled to his private residence in the south of France for a getaway (and sparked criticism for flying private).
"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."
He revealed that he had paid for a private jet to fly them to his home for some "safety and tranquility" with "a high level of much-needed protection." He also directly blasted criticisms that Meghan and Harry were hypocritical for taking a private jet while advocating for the environment, revealing that his team made sure the jet they flew in was carbon-neutral. (Doing so involves calculating how much a flight would generate in greenhouse gas emissions and donating to a project that will reduce carbon emissions by that amount.)
"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," he ended his statement.
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.
— Elton John (@eltonofficial) August 19, 2019
To support Prince Harry’s commitment to the environment, we ensured their flight was carbon neutral, by making the appropriate contribution to Carbon Footprint™.
— Elton John (@eltonofficial) August 19, 2019
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.
— Elton John (@eltonofficial) August 19, 2019
Elton
As well as having been a close friend of Princess Diana's, John has also been close to Prince Harry, and the two have worked on charity initiatives together throughout the years. John also attended Meghan and Harry's wedding last year.
Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images
RELATED: Princess Diana's Close Friend Elton John Attends Her Son Prince Harry's Wedding
Last month, Prince Harry revealed that he and Meghan only plan to have one more child in order to be mindful of humans' effect on climate change. When it was reported that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex took a private jet to their vacation, people slammed them for being "hypocritical" — though according to John's tweets, "To support Prince Harry’s commitment to the environment, we ensured their flight was carbon neutral, by making the appropriate contribution to Carbon Footprint™."
