Elton John Responds To Meghan Markle & Prince Harry's Private Plane Critics

As a close friend of Princess Diana, Elton John has kept her memory alive through his continued friendship with her children. That's why he performed at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and why he piped up on Twitter in their defense after they faced another round of backlash. This time, the public took issue with the Duke and Duchess's use of a private jet to travel to both Ibiza, Spain and Nice, France, despite their outspoken support of protecting the environment (air travel is responsible for more than 2% of global greenhouse gas emissions). John, however, says there's more to the story, and wanted to set the record straight to help limit the "press intrusion that contributed to Diana’s untimely death."

Last week, baby Archie and his parents stayed at John's private Nice residence, and the singer revealed he was actually the one responsible for the private jet.

"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," he wrote on Twitter. "To maintain a high level of much-needed protection, we provided them with a private jet flight."

However, John clarified that the flight was carbon neutral — at least, he says he gave a donation to Carbon Footprint™ in an effort to make up for the flight's emissions. It appears his tweet was less about the jets themselves and more in defense of how unfairly be believes the press treats the royal couple in general.

"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," he concluded his thread.

The Duke and Duchess have not publicly addressed the scandal.