'Deeply distressed' Elton John defends Harry and Meghan against 'malicious' tabloids
London: A distressed Elton John has rushed to the defence of Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, after the pair were criticised in the British press for using a private jet on a 'gas guzzling' flight to his home for a tranquil holiday, revealing he, not taxpayers paid for their trip to Nice in the south of France.
Writing on Twitter, the musician invoked Prince Harry's dead mother and his "dearest friend" Princess Diana, to say the royal pair deserved a private holiday after their "hectic year continuing their hard work" and said they had to fly privately for their own safety.
Sir Elton, who sang a reworked version of Candle in the Wind at Princess Diana's funeral, said he felt an obligation to protect the couple from the media intrusion that had contributed to Princess Diana's death aged 37, just one year younger then the Duchess of Sussex.
The singer's intervention came after the Murdoch-owned tabloid The Sun published photographs of the pair arriving in Nice in the south of France via a chartered plane, which the article said was the third "private jet jaunt" the "eco-warriors" had taken over the British summer.
The article cited experts claiming the flight would have cost £20,000 ($35,850) in contrast to the more than 20 scheduled commercial flights between London and Nice costing fewer than £100.
Labour MP Teresa Pearce was among the critics quoted noting the couple recently advocated a two-child policy for the sake of the environment.
"Given the position they have taken publicly about being responsible on climate change, this does seem an anomaly which they should look at," she said.
Sir Elton, who attended the pair's wedding and is reported to have sung at their reception, said a contribution had been made to ensure the flight was carbon neutral to support the couple's commitment to the environment.
"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 on Twitter.
"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.
"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."
The Palace has had a frosty relationship with Britain's tabloids, including The Sun, Daily Mail, Mail Online and Mail on Sunday have had a testy relationship with the Palace over its coverage of Harry's relationship and marriage to Meghan, and recently spoke out about "unconscious bias" leading to racist behaviour.