It’s almost ridiculous to see the flurry of activity around the royals in the wake of Sussexit. That’s how you know that Harry and Meghan’s departure is a big deal: the Windsors are working extra hard to present a “business as usual” image. So, in the last 24 hours, the Duchess of Sussex stepped on the Duchess of Cambridge’s Early Years launch newscycle, after which royal reporters got their panties in a bunch. Then Prince Charles took a private jet to Davos to give a speech about environmentalism. Everybody’s stepping on everybody’s newscycle and it’s glorious.
Prince Charles is flying into Davos today on a chartered plane costing an estimated £15,000 after his usual jet went in for a service – but he will be whisked to the World Economic Forum by electric car after choosing to dodge a fuel-guzzling helicopter.
The Prince of Wales will be driven two hours through the Alps from a Swiss airport to the billionaire’s playground where he will join Donald Trump as one of the star attractions in the ski resort. Away from the turmoil caused by Harry and Meghan, Charles will launch an ambitious project to help financial markets become more sustainable during a visit to the World Economic Forum in Switzerland.
Somebody please save these people from themselves. Don’t get me wrong, I would probably enjoy the annual Davos summit too, even though I think it’s asinine to hold a major global summit in January in Switzerland. But of course Charles took a private jet to Davos and of course he’s speaking about environmentalism and sustainability. So what’s the big keen project and will he be criticized with the same vitriol Harry got for making similar trips last year? Charles is launching the Sustainable Markets Council and here’s an excerpt from his speech:
“With consumers controlling an estimated 60% of global G.D.P., people around the world have the power to drive the transformation to sustainable markets. Yet, we cannot expect consumers to make sustainable choices if these choices are not clearly laid before them. As consumers increasingly demand sustainable products, they deserve to be told more about product lifecycles, supply chains and production methods. For a transition to take place, being socially and environmentally conscious cannot only be for those who can afford it. If all the true costs are taken into account, being socially and environmentally responsible should be the least expensive option because it leaves the smallest footprint behind.
With 2020 being seen as the “super year”, kick-starting a decade of action for people and planet…I intend to do my utmost to ensure that the message of urgency, systemic change, collaboration and integration is heard.
[Via the Prince of Wales’ website]
It’s honestly very interesting and as we all know, Charles has been a huge environmentalist for decades, so he’s not a Johnny-come-lately to any of this. Still, the private jet to Davos… come on, he shot himself in the foot before he even stepped off the plane.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I don’t understand how these so-called environmentalists doesn’t seen to fathom how bad the optics are when they refuse to stop using private jets and massive yatches. The Google summit last year comes to mind…
My first thought upon reading the title: “of course he did”
And I’m sure he bought carbon credits too, because that makes it better. (Sacasm: there are too many carbon credits issued to make enough difference, leaving credits unused is the only way to make an impact. Selling them or buying them isn’t helping anything). Or maybe he bought trees, aka saplings, that if they make it to maturity in 100 years will finally off set that footprint from his flight. Yay!
I agree! Not surprised at the hypocrisy.
Tone deaf, clueless, idiotic.
Ooooh. Well he needs a private jet for all his luggage. Doesn’t he usually travel with his own bed, his own toilet seat, and of course the endless staff required to squeeze his toothpaste onto his toothbrush? I also predict a hastily arranged budget flight with pap shots sometime in the near future for the Cambridge family. Maybe William could get them to the airport in the private helicopter the Queen okd for his constant use.
Right? We have the effing internet now. No one needs to travel for these events. Everyone can attend via a comlink. This is maddening.
Kind of an aside…I do a lot of online meetings and personally I love It, but the other stuff, the networking, the informal chit chat, you miss out on those elements if you aren’t there. I’m not much for either of those things, too introverted, but my sense is the social aspect is 70% of the point of destination summits.
Agreed, I work for an entity that organises a number of very large conferences and the vast majority of results are achieved on the sidelines from attendees talking face-to-face to one another. The actual “decision making in the conference” part you see is more often than not an outcome of the side discussions.
…but this doesn’t mean that attendees can’t go by commercial plane – or, shock horror, by train!
This really is stupidity. Stupidity that all of the Royals are guilty of but of all of the Royals, Charles is the last I’d have expected this from.
I’m surprised that’s even a conversation in the press! Not here- this blog tends to fairly cover all royals and hold them to the same standards. I mean I’m surprised the U.K. press cares since usually they’ve got their sights set on H&M and love to give others a pass for the same behavior.
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“this blog tends to fairly cover all royals and hold them to the same standards”….I mean, is that a joke? This site is the most biased, one-sided, fan-fiction around that does nothing but pit women against each other while pretending to be feminist.
I suggest you go back and read the early years about W&K. Kaiser has been rightfully criticizing them for years. It isn’t an either or, but Kate stans keep crying it is.
Then. . .wny are you here if it’s so objectionable?
Because, believe it or not, you can read from sources outside your own echo chamber once in a while. I appreciate that this might be a concept lost on many here though.
Plus, it has been fascinating to watch the toxic, group-think take hold here over the years.
Go back and read the early years. Kaiser and CB keeping boots on necks, criticizing W&K long before Meghan came along.
Noooo, certainly not a level playing field here either. They all pick their favourites and shred the opposition. It’s just the opposition on here isn’t in line with the tabloids.
Man, he looks like his mother here!
I just keep thinking of that drive through the Alps-harrowing but gorgeous. Davos is a major conference in a billionaire’s playground!
I grew up in the Alps and can tell you they are not harrowing.
Yeah this is just stupid. It’d be one thing (for any celebrity/public figure) if they were flying to an area without a commercial airport near by… but that’s not the case.
The whole idea of environmental summits where people are flying in from all over the globe is just such a ridiculous concept because it goes against everything that they should be about. I get that people want to meet up in person, in one location, and feel like a part of something, but at this point there’s no reason that they can’t skype in speakers or stream the speeches and things like that to at least multiple locations. Even if people had to take a short flight to get to a ‘hub’ area, it would still be so much less air travel.
+1, he could have earned extra points by taking the train from London to Davos (going via Paris) which would have caused positive headlines. Le sigh with these people…
SUCH a great point Erinn. Environmentalists should do this and make a big deal about doing it. They could get so much good publicity and educate the less-savvy people who still don’t really get it when it comes to the impact of climate change.
I wonder if the Cambridge’s will reserve their own FlyBe jet for when they go on their ski trip?
I’ve never really noticed his, uh, teeth until now.
minx…me either. I find that tea stains my teeth worse than coffee so maybe that’s it? Plus (Canadian here) Brits seem to take their tea really strong. When hubby & I were in northern England a couple years ago I ordered hot tea and when I got it I truly thought it was coffee!
In the 90’s The Princess Royal used to give him sh*t, discussing the environment while driving gas guzzlers
I’ve realized that…I don’t care about the royals anymore. I adored Princess Di, watched the wedding, I love Harry, then Harry and Meghan). Now that he’s gone, I don’t want to read about them anymore!
@MOT I feel Pretty much the same. . .
IKR? I’m realizing this morning I’m missing new stories & pics of H &M. They’ll be back to events eventually, though not as royals so technically not RF stories.
@MOT….my feelings exactly!
I’ve liked Charles, but where are the pitchforks for his private flight? And I truly believe that now that Harry and Meghan are out (still being blamed for everything, but out of the Royal circle), it’s William v. Charles. It is going to get dirty. I think they both think they are unstoppable for different reasons and the head butting is going to be immense.
How is he an enviromentalist when he hunts for fun?
I can’t with anyone who takes pleasure in killing animals.
This family certainly has a huge blind spot when it comes to environmentalism hypocrisy. And that goes for both sons as well.
Agreed, I still can’t get over the fact that Harry didn’t take a train when he launched that initiative for sustainable travel in Amsterdam. Not to even mention his brother’s actions on this point, but it would’ve been such an easy win and a way to so easily highlight how to achieve the initiative’s objectives…sigh.
That goes for ALL the Royal members. They don’t walk the walk at all. Us common folk should care about the environment and do as they say, not as they do. Same goes for celebs like Leo. All hypocrites. We should drive electric cars while they drive their gas guzzling Range Rovers.
+1
+1, tone-deaf bunch!
When the reckoning comes for these folks, and it will come, it’s going to epic.
Hypocritical much, Chaz?
It’s high level hypocrisy.
On another note, why does he always look so red and with yellow teeth?
Stef, the red face is from rosacea.
He’s just rubbing it in. Normal Bill made such a point of flying ‘with the people’ on a budget airline that now he’s never going to be able to fly on a private plane again. Charles was probably sitting in HIS private plane laughing all the way to Davos about what an asshole his son and heir is.
Ugh! I agree here he shot himself in the foot. I think we’d all be amazed and pissed off how many people who are “environmentalists” and how they live their day-to-day lives with no cameras and when no one is looking.
I don’t know why I wasn’t allowed to post this earlier but I’m trying again: nobody should be surprised by this because, (1) Charles has said in the past that he finds flying first class be to “incredibly uncomfortable.” He is not going to sacrifice his own comfort just for the environment. And (2), the family are all hypocrites, like William telling people in Africa not to have more children while his wife was pregnant with child #3. They will never make the same sacrifices that they want others to make.
Good point Mrs Krabapple!
He reminds me of super rich hedgefunders I meet who say things like, ‘Oh, my daughter Rubella just bought a wonderful hunting safari in Africa – she cares so much about the environment!’ Lol, it’s like colonial saviour hypocrisy & bullpucky.
Prince Charles did not guest- edit Vogue and have the highest September sales in 10 years. He did not include Greta as a force for change. He is not the Duchess of Sussex. There is no proxy cultural war in lieu of democratic services.
So it is okay. Remember only the chosen can be hippocrites.
ugh. This is so bad. Why do these rich folks think that they are somehow above what they preach?? such bad optics.
I totally get that the optics are bad but he’s there to try to influence change for the better. Have you guys seen how many flights are happening on flight radar right now. It’s shocking. Flying is so much cheaper now so why wouldn’t people fly on a whim. He’s a major influencer trying to change things. I’m giving him a pass. If it upsets you so much go and yell at people getting on planes at your local airport .See
where that gets you. Ps. Love xx
Ps. Love and peace. 😉
So much is being said about flying, and it truly is a major concern, but easier changes in everyday life have even bigger impacts. It still baffles me that Kate is lauded for wearing Zara, while fast fashion is one of the most polluting industries. Factory farming is also terrible – If you eat meat and dairy choose it wisely, once in a while from regenerative agriculture source actually helps the planet!
Yep .
He also had a photo opp with Greta Thurnberg yet didn’t bother to defend Meghan when Meghan’s Vogue (with Greta on the cover) was being attacked. Trash