Elton John is coming to the defense of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
News broke on Monday that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stayed at John’s home in Nice, France, last week, and much of the coverage of their trip focused on the fact that they took a private plane to get there, despite making protecting the environment one of their key causes.
SEE ALSO: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle travel to Nice with baby Archie
The “Tiny Dancer” singer took to Twitter on Monday afternoon to share his thoughts on the controversy, explaining that he covered not only the travel expenses for their private plane, but also made sure that the aircraft was carbon neutral.
“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 in series of tweets. “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.”
19 PHOTOSElton John's relationship with the royal familySee GalleryElton John's relationship with the royal family
File photo dated 23/5/1991 of the Princess of Wales being greeted by singer Elton John for the charity premiere of the musical ‘Tango Argentina’ at the Aldwych Theatre, London, in aid of National Aids Trust and Aids Crisis Trust. Sir Elton has said he provided the Duke and Duchess of Sussex with a private jet flight to his home in Nice to give the royal couple a "high level of much-needed protection".
Bespectacled pop star Elton John and television personality David Frost being presented to the Queen at Windsor when they were among a host of stars appearing in a gala variety performance in the Big Top at Home Park in aid of the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Appeal.
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 14: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex greet British singer-songwriter Elton John and David Furnish at the European Premiere of Disney’s "The Lion King" at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on July 14, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Niklas Halle’n-WPA Pool/Getty Images)
File photo dated 13/7/1985 of the Princess of Wales meeting Elton John during the Live Aid concert in aid of the African famine at Wembley Stadium, London. Sir Elton has said he provided the Duke and Duchess of Sussex with a private jet flight to his home in Nice to give the royal couple a "high level of much-needed protection".
Singer Elton John and his partner David Furnish (R) arrive at the Royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey in London. (Photo by Brooks Kraft LLC/Corbis via Getty Images)
Queen Elizabeth II meets Sir Elton John backstage at The Diamond Jubilee Concert outside Buckingham Palace, London.
AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS – JULY 24:Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex (L) and Sir Elton John attend the Launch of the Menstar Coalition To Promote HIV Testing & Treatment of Men on July 24, 2018 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.(Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for EJAF)
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 29:Sir Elton John attends the service inside Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011 in London, England. The marriage of Prince William, the second in line to the British throne, to Catherine Middleton is being held in London today. The Archbishop of Canterbury conducted the service which was attended by 1900 guests, including foreign Royal family members and heads of state. Thousands of well-wishers from around the world have also flocked to London to witness the spectacle and pageantry of the Royal Wedding and street parties are being held throughout the UK. (Photo byJon Bond – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS – JULY 24: (EDITORS NOTE: Image has been converted to black and white.)Sir Elton John and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex attend the Launch of the Menstar Coalition To Promote HIV Testing & Treatment of Men on July 24, 2018 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.(Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for EJAF)
The Duke of Sussex joins a plenary session with Sir Elton John to launch a new coalition of global Aids funders Ð the MenStar Coalition – during the Aids 2018 summit in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. (Photo by Gareth Fuller/PA Images via Getty Images)
WINDSOR, UNITED KINGDOM – MAY 19: (EMBARGOED FOR PUBLICATION IN UK NEWSPAPERS UNTIL 24 HOURS AFTER CREATE DATE AND TIME) Elton John and David Furnish attend the wedding of Prince Harry to Ms Meghan Markle at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018 in Windsor, England. Prince Henry Charles Albert David of Wales marries Ms. Meghan Markle in a service at St George’s Chapel inside the grounds of Windsor Castle. Among the guests were 2200 members of the public, the royal family and Ms. Markle’s Mother Doria Ragland. (Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICAJULY 21: (SOUTH AFRICA OUT): Elton John and Prince Harry on a panel of discussion during the International Aids Conference on July 21, 2016 in Durban, South Africa. During the International Aids Conference held in South Africa, Prince Harry and John, took to the stage to call for strengthened efforts in the fight against Aids. (Photo by Jackie Clausen/The Times/Gallo Images/Getty Images)
TOPSHOT – Britain’s Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex (R) and Britain’s Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (2nd R) chat with British singer-songwriter Elton John (C) as they arrive to attend the European premiere of the film The Lion King in London on July 14, 2019. (Photo by Niklas HALLE’N / POOL / AFP)(Photo credit should read NIKLAS HALLE’N/AFP/Getty Images)
CONCERT FOR DIANA — Pictured: (l-r) Singer Elton John speaks with Prince Harry and Prince William on stage during the “Concert for Diana” held at Wembley Stadium, Wembley, London, England on July 1, 2007(Photo by Edmond Terakopian/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS – JULY 24:(L-R) Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Sir Elton John, and David Furnish attend the Launch of the Menstar Coalition To Promote HIV Testing & Treatment of Men on July 24, 2018 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.(Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for EJAF)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 1: Prince William and Prince Harry end the show by saying thanks to Sir Elton John and all who took part in the ‘Concert for Diana’ at Wembley Stadium which the Princes organised to celebrate the life of their mother, Diana Princess of Wales, July 1, 2007 in London, England. (Photo by Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
The funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales at Westminster Abbey, London. George Michael, Elton John and David Furnish. 6th September 1997. (Photo by Mike Maloney/Mirrorpix/Getty Images)
Singer Elton John performing a rewritten version of his song ‘Candle in the wind’ as a tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales, at her funeral. Over a million mourners lined the route of the funeral procession through London. (Photo by PA Images via Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 29: Elton John and David Furnish arrive to attend the Royal Wedding of Prince William to Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011 in London, England. The marriage of the second in line to the British throne is to be led by the Archbishop of Canterbury and will be attended by 1900 guests, including foreign Royal family members and heads of state. Thousands of well-wishers from around the world have also flocked to London to witness the spectacle and pageantry of the Royal Wedding.(Photo by Danny Martindale/FilmMagic)Up Next
See Gallery
“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. To maintain a high level of much-needed protection, we provided them with a private jet flight,” he went on. “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,” he finished, before signing the statement, “Elton.”
John, who attended Meghan and Harry’s royal wedding in May 2018, was indeed a close friend of the British royal’s mother, Diana, until her death in 1997.
His defense of the couple comes a few weeks after Prince Harry was among the high profile names who were criticized for attending Google Camp in Italy, where some 114 private planes were used for traveling to and from the event. Other attendees included Barack Obama, Leonardo DiCaprio and Orlando Bloom.
The Duke also revealed in his wife’s issue of British Vogue that they were planning on having no more than two children in an effort to have a smaller impact on the environment.
Read Elton John’s full Twitter thread in defense of Harry and Meghan below:
Source: Read Full Article
