Face of Nation : Sir Elton John has attacked what he describes as “distorted and malicious” accounts of Harry and Meghan’s private stay at his home in Nice. The singer posted a series of tweets after newspaper reports of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex taking four trips by private jet in 11 days.
He said: “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.
“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.
“After a hectic year continuing their hard work and dedication to charity, 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 said that an “appropriate contribution to Carbon Footprint” was made to support Prince Harry’s “commitment to the environment”. Sir Elton added: “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 Rocket Man singer, one of the world’s best-selling music artists, was writing after criticism of Meghan, 38, and Harry, 34, for flying by private jet despite their campaigning about environmental issues, such as climate change.
The Sun reported that the couple used a 12-seater Cessna plane for the trip to Nice, where Sir Elton has a £15m home.The newspaper said the couple chose to hire a private jet costing more than £20,000, despite there being many commercial jet departures to choose from at a fraction of the price.The couple’s trip came just days after they travelled almost 1,000 miles (1,609km) by private jet to the party island of Ibiza to celebrate Meghan’s birthday.
