Prince Harry says he flies Commercial 99% of the time and only flies Private Jet to “keep his family safe”

Prince Harry has reacted to the criticisms he and his wife Meghan Markle have received for flying by private jet.

The Duke of Sussex defended his family’s use of private jets and says he flies them “to ensure his family are safe”.

He flew by commercial jet to Amsterdam today to make a speech marking the launch of a new environmental travel project, Travalyst.

In his speech, Harry said that “no-one is perfect” and insisted that people must balance out negative effects of global travel.

Reacting to criticisms he and Meghan faced for taking four private jet trips in 11 days, Prince Harry said: “I spend 99% of my life travelling the world by commercial.

“Occasionally there needs to be an opportunity based on a unique circumstance to ensure that my family are safe.”

He added that with “Travalyst” he hopes to encourage people to make “more environmentally friendly choices” when they travel.

Harry has spent three years working on the initiative, called Travalyst, which he hopes will improve conservation, environmental protection and help increase the economic benefits from tourism for local communities.

Harry said in a speech to launch the initiative at Amsterdam’s A’dam Tower: “What is clear across this vast landscape is that our world faces environmental challenges of unprecedented scope and scale.

“From deforestation and the loss of biodiversity to ocean plastics and poaching, the problems can sometimes seem too big to fix.

“These human-caused challenges often need a giant system shift to make a significant enough impact. And that is what this partnership is here to try and do.

“Sometimes the scale of the conservation crisis feels overwhelming and that individual actions can’t make a difference.

“I’ve certainly felt that – but I’ve learned that we cannot dismiss the idea of trying to do something, just because we can’t do everything. We can all do better.

“And, while no-one is perfect, we are all responsible for our own individual impact; the question is what we do to balance it out.”