William and Kate Fly Commercial Days After Harry and Meghan Catch Flack for Flying Private

Stacey Leasca

Just a few days ago, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle felt the wrath of environmentalists everywhere who chided the couple for their decision to fly on not one, but four private planes. Their friends, including Elton John, were quick to come to their defense, saying the couple had to fly private for safety reasons. However, on Thursday morning, Prince William, Kate Middleton, and their three children proved that point to be wrong when they all boarded an economy flight to Scotland.

According to The Daily Mail, the royal couple and their kids took the 8:45 am FlyBe flight from Norwich International Airport to Aberdeen Airport while en route to visit The Queen at her Balmoral estate. The tickets, The Daily Mail reported, cost about $89 a pop.

To be fair, it’s not like the Cambridge’s didn’t get any special treatment on the fight. The family was escorted from the plane directly to their awaiting car for the short drive to Balmoral. A passenger even filmed the family disembarking from the plane, showing Prince William carrying the children’s luggage and Kate following close behind with Prince Louis in her arms.

But, other than this little extra detail, passengers on the flight said the family fit right in.

“The family were sat right at the front. I fly this route all the time and we were none the wiser. No-one knew they were on the flight,” one passenger told The Daily Mail. “Later on I realized that Kate's mother was sat a few rows in front of me.”

Royal biographer Robert Jobson shared with The Daily Mail, this flight proves the royals are fully capable of flying commercial.

“There was a lot of nonsense spoken earlier in the week about how Prince Harry and Meghan Markle needed to fly in private jets because of security concerns,” he said. “But the Royal Family have been using cheap airlines for years, Princess Diana would do it frequently. William and Kate flying on a budget airline proves you can do it, there was no trouble on the flight, and if there was they have their protection officers.”

However, it should also be noted, Prince Harry and Meghan may have had a recent spat of private plane rides, but they are no strangers to flying commercial too. On their tour of Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands last fall the couple flew commercial throughout the entire journey. The couple also flew commercial to France for their New Year’s Eve celebration with friends. So, maybe after this summer’s private escapades you’ll see them on a commercial liner again soon.