Prince Harry Responds to Private Jet Use, Cites Security Reasons

On Monday (September 02, 2019), Prince Harry traveled to the Netherlands to announce a new partnership between leading online travel firms that aim to transform the industry.

At the event, the 34-year-old spoke about his own impact on the environment after the furor that followed his use of private jets, saying “no-one is perfect”.

The visit comes shortly after Harry and Meghan Markle faced mounting criticism after reportedly taking four private jet journeys in 11 days, rather than opting for commercial flights, despite speaking out on environmental issues.

During his speech at Amsterdam’s A’dam Tower, Harry explained: “What is clear across this vast landscape is that our world faces environmental challenges of unprecedented scope and scale. From deforestation and the loss of biodiversity, to ocean plastics and poaching, the problems can sometimes seem too big to fix.”

He added: “These human-caused challenges often need a giant system shift to make a significant enough impact. And that is what this partnership is here to try and do. Sometimes the scale of the conservation crisis feels overwhelming and that individual actions can’t make a difference.”

“I’ve certainly felt that – but I’ve learned that we cannot dismiss the idea of trying to do something, just because we can’t do everything. We can all do better,” the royal continued. “And, while no-one is perfect, we are all responsible for our own individual impact; the question is what we do to balance it out.”

When asked about his decision to use private jets, the royal said he uses commercial flights 90% of the time but does make other arrangements at times to “ensure that my family are safe” and that he has always offset his C02 impact.

“We can all do better and while no one is perfect, we all have a responsibility for our own individual impact. The question is what we do to balance it out. What is clear across this vast landscape is that our world faces environmental challenges of unprecedented scope and scale. These human-caused challenges often need a giant system shift to make a significant enough impact. And that is what this partnership is here to try and do.”