Prince Harry, Meghan Markle welcome new controversy ahead of wedding anniversary

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are facing public criticism around the time they are about to celebrate their sixth wedding anniversary.

The couple is facing fresh accusations of hypocrisy after accepting two free private flights during their trip to Nigeria. Nigerian airline Air Peace flew the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, along with a few companions, on a 120-seat plane for a 664-mile round trip, reported Mirror.

The return journey from Abuja to Lagos on May 12 produced approximately 12 tonnes of carbon emissions, whereas the average annual global carbon footprint is roughly four tonnes per person. 

Harry and Meghan, who are known for advocating against climate change, launched the Travalyst initiative in 2019 to encourage sustainability in the tourism industry.

Stanley Olisa, of Air Peace, explained how the Sussexes were given the free flights during their three-day tour of Nigeria to celebrate 10 years of Harry’s Invictus Games.

He said: “The planes were chartered. It was just the royals and their entourage. They were not flying with other passengers. We understand that they are royals so we gave them top-tier treatment on board. They were given everything they wanted. It was an exclusive experience. And we flew them back to Abuja in the evening. Everything was complimentary.”

Air Vice Marshal Abidemi Marquis, director of sports for the Nigerian Defence Headquarters, was with Harry and Meghan on the 42-metre Embraer E195-E2 and said: “There were maybe 15 or 20 of us on the flight.”

Mr Olisa said: “The chairman of Air Peace gave Prince Harry and his wonderful wife Meghan free flights to Lagos and back as part of his contribution to the successful hosting of the couple.” We discovered the round trip on a scheduled Air Peace service today costs from £321 per person.

During their tour, the Sussexes visited a secondary school in Abuja to open an event on mental health and Harry played a game of sitting volleyball with injured servicemen. The Duke and Duchess also spoke at a reception and Meghan co-hosted a women’s leadership event and revealed a genealogy test showed she had Nigerian heritage.

The Sussexes took British Airways to and from Nigeria but the courtesy flights go against the environmental concerns Harry has often expressed.

In 2021, he told Oprah Winfrey: “With kids growing up in today’s world, pretty depressing, right, depending on where you live, your home country is either on fire, it’s either underwater, houses or forests are being flattened.”

And in a 2022 speech to the United Nations general assembly, he said: “Our world is on fire again. And these historic weather events are no longer historic. More and more, they are part of our daily lives, this crisis will only grow worse.”

For the unversed the couple will celebrate six years of marriage on Sunday.