Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have come under furious attack and branded “hypocrites” after taking a gas-guzzling seven-car convoy around a single block to attend an event in New York City.
On Tuesday, the eco-conscious couple left a garage near the Equinox Hotel in Hudson Yards as they made their way to the World Mental Health Day Festival as part of an appearance for their charity, the Archewell Foundation.
They took a left turn on 33rd Street in accordance with the one-way street only to end up at another garage 200ft up the road. Their huge convoy of blacked-out SUVs was flanked by NYPD escorts on the streets of Manhattan, according to MailOnline.
Harry and Meghan appeared to be taking a series of stringent steps to boost safety as it was their first joint appearance in the city since May following their “near catastrophic car chase” with paparazzi after attending the Women of Vision awards.
The former working members of the Royal Family, who have frequently spoken about the importance of protecting the environment, have come under furious attack.
Several people have flooded to X (formerly Twitter), with “CorONation” (@CorONation1968) writing: “The Sussex eco-warriors strike again! A seven-car convoy to go a whole block.”
“Disillusioned Englishman” (@Raymond96689291) raged: “Nice to see the Duke and Duchess of Whinge doing their bit to save the planet by only travelling in a seven-car convoy.”
Fellow X user “Mr Spiny Norman” simply said: “World’s biggest hypocrites?”
Harry and Meghan will have raised eyebrows among eco-activists recently after travelling more than 18,000 miles combined around the world on seven flights across 14 days last month.
The couple had a packed schedule for much of September, with Harry attending the WellChild awards in London before flying to Dusseldorf in Germany for the Invictus Games.
Meghan later joined her husband at the event in Germany before reportedly having a private holiday in Portugal before flying thousands of miles home to California.
The Sussexes have often spoken about the importance of protecting the environment. In July 2019, they called for action on climate change, insisting “every choice, every footprint, every action makes a difference”.
They wrote in a statement posted to their official Instagram account: “There is a ticking clock to protect our planet – with climate change, the deterioration of our natural resources, endangerment of sacred wildlife, the impact of plastics and microplastics, and fossil fuel emissions, we are jeopardising this beautiful place we call home – for ourselves and for future generations.
“Let’s save it. Let’s do our part.”
Harry and Meghan added: “Environmental damage has been treated as a necessary by-product of economic growth.
“So deeply ingrained is this thinking that it has been considered part of the natural order that humankind’s development comes at the expense of our planet.
“Only now are we starting to notice and understand the damage that we’ve been causing. With nearly 7.7 billion people inhabiting this Earth, every choice, every footprint, every action makes a difference.”
In 2019, Harry also revealed in an interview with conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall, as part of his Meghan’s edition of British Vogue, that the couple had decided to have “two kids maximum”.
He explained their decision was driven by a desire to help save the planet and noted the earth was only “borrowed”.
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