Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have made headlines the world over their recent decision to fly privately on a family getaway to France with baby Archie.
And while royals often do not engage with the murmurs and rumbles of controversial headlines, the red-headed royal decided to speak out in an unexpected move, and what he had to say makes an awful lot of sense.
In August, Meghan and Harry came under intense scrutiny when they flew to two separate European destinations via a private jet.
The pair first flew with their newborn baby Archie to Ibiza to celebrate Meghan’s 38th birthday.
Not long after, they then flew to Nice, France.
While many were outraged at the pair’s decision to fly privately, a number of celebrities came forward to defend the royal couple.
Most poignantly was Elton John, who revealed it was he who had lent Harry and Meghan his private jet, as well as his French abode on Nice, where the pair stayed.
Elton said he wished for the pair to enjoy their holiday “inside the safety and tranquillity” of the home he shares with his partner David Furnish.
He also hoped to “maintain a high level of much-needed protection” by providing them with a private jet flight.
Other celebrities including Ellen DeGeneres and Pink also spoke out in support of the pair.
While their words were no doubt appreciated, Prince Harry himself has now addressed the controversy first hand.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle came under fire in many tabloid headlines for choosing to fly privately.
(Getty)Attending the launch of his brand new travel project in Amsterdam on September 3, Harry spoke publicly about the initiative, which aims to make travelling more sustainable and better conserve popular tourist destinations.
“We can all do better and while no one is perfect, we all have a responsibility for our own individual impact,” he said.
He was then asked directly during a Q&A session about his choice to fly privately, to which he replied: “I came here by commercial. I spend 99 per cent of my life travelling the world by commercial.
“Occasionally there needs to be an opportunity based on a unique circumstance to ensure my family are safe and it’s genuinely as simple as that.”
Given the intense scrutiny both Meghan and Harry are constantly under, especially following the birth of their new baby Archie, it seems Harry’s reasoning is well justified.
Prince Harry spoke out about the controversy surrounding his choice to fly privately.
(Getty)Prince Harry’s frank admission comes at an interesting time. His new project, Travalyst, aims to “make travel an engine for sustainability”.
The Prince has spent two years working on the secret collaboration with Booking.com, SkyScanner, CTrip, TripAdvisor and Visa.
Like many royals before him, the 34-year-old is well travelled, and was inspired by this, as well as his work with the Queen’s Canopy, another conservation project, to launch his new initiative.
“I am not a tourism or business expert, but through my travels I have observed the unique relationship between community and environment, and have noticed something alarming,” Prince Harry said in a statement.
“I am one of those people fortunate enough to have a platform and I want to use it to tackle hard problems, in the hope of finding solutions…and that’s how Travalyst was born.”
The Prince launched his new project in Amsterdam on Tuesday morning.
(Getty)In a few weeks, Harry will board a flight to South Africa alongside his wife and son Archie as they commence their first royal tour as a family of three.
The family will continue their efforts in conservation and working towards better social outcomes.
Harry is also expected to travel to Malawi, Botswana and Angola, where he will expand the reach of his charity Sentable.
WATCH: Prince Harry and the royals join David Attenborough at the premiere of Our Planet:
