Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Plea With Their Instagram Followers, and Fans Speak Up

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s plea to their Instagram followers to “help save the planet” is earning them fierce backlash. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had taken to Instagram on Monday to urge their followers to consider their carbon footprint, though the posting came just a week after a report showed that the Royal Family‘s carbon footprint had risen 98 percent since 2018, according to the Daily Mail.

“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 jeopardizing this beautiful place we call home – for ourselves and for future generations,” the post began in part. “Let’s save it. Let’s do our part.”

“Environmental damage has been treated as a necessary by-product of economic growth,” an included quote from Harry read. “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.”

However, despite the good message, fans quickly took issue with it, pointing out all of the ways that the Duke and Duchess, as well as the British Royal Family as a whole, are failing the planet thanks to their extravagant and not eco-friendly lifestyle.

A recent report showed that the Royal Family’s CO2 emissions for business travel rose from 1,687 tons in 2018 to 3,344 tons in 2019, a 98 percent increase. Their greenhouse emissions rose by 3 percent to 8,393 tons, the Daily Mail reports, due to an increase in the use of “chartered large fixed-wing aircraft for foreign business travel.”

“Wait guys. You can’t fly private jets in your personal life and then post this kind of thing,” one person slammed the post. “Either live it or don’t. Truly. Walk the talk. Otherwise it’s hypocrisy.”

“Fly commercial planes if you have to rather than private jets if you truly believe what you’re posting,” added another.

“Great initiative, but what about all the flying and driving done by the entire royal family?” questioned a third. “What about the outrageous size of the housing, the cost of the clothing etc. Perhaps it’s time to set an example. Be the change the our planet needs.”

The Royal Family’s love of travel is no secret. In fact, just after tying the knot in May of 2018, the duke and duchess had embarked on their first international tour as newlyweds to Australia, Fiji, Tonga, and New Zealand. Most travel, however, reportedly stemmed from Prince Charles and Camila, who traveled to the Caribbean, Africa, and Europe on behalf of the Queen.

Despite the lackluster carbon emissions numbers, there is one thing the Royal Family is doing right. Year-over-year, there was a 24 percent fall in energy use at Buckingham Palace.