Harry and Meghan Use German Taxpayer-Owned Jet for Invictus Games Promotion

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, have been criticized for using a $50 million German Air Force jet to travel to and from Dusseldorf to promote the Invictus Games 2023.

The couple is currently on a pseudo-royal tour of Europe, and their visit to Germany was part of the trip.

The use of the jet, which belongs to the German taxpayer and is usually reserved for senior members of the German government or armed forces, has angered some fans who accuse the couple of hypocrisy, given their vocal stance on environmental issues.

The private jet, a Bombardier Global 5000, was sent to London to collect the couple and flew them to Dusseldorf, where they were met by police and whisked away in a black Porsche Cayenne.

The German military, known as the Bundeswehr, offered the use of their private jet as part of the agreement with the city of Dusseldorf to jointly host next year's Invictus Games.

The couple did not need to fly commercially and avoided traffic jams on the three-mile journey into the city.

The use of a German taxpayer-owned jet has raised questions about the couple's commitment to environmental issues.

Fans have taken to social media to criticize the couple, with one saying that if they cared about the environment, they would have flown commercially instead of having a German plane fly to the UK to pick them up, fly them to Germany, and then fly back to Germany.

Another sarcastic fan said that the couple's use of the jet was an obvious attempt to make them feel important.

The couple's visit to Germany was not a royal visit, and there were no police motorcycle outriders or accompanying police cars with flashing blue lights.

However, a vehicle carrying a doctor and medical equipment was part of the convoy for the three-mile drive into the city.

The couple's entourage also included a personal doctor.

The use of the German Air Force jet is just one example of the couple's apparent hypocrisy.

The Sussexes have been vocal about their dislike of the stifling formality and archaic traditions of royal life, but their visit to Germany yesterday to promote the Invictus Games 2023 screamed of a royal tour-lite.

The couple's actions have been criticized by fans who feel that they are not living up to their public commitments.

The Queen, Harry's grandmother, was photographed for the first time since July meeting her new Prime Minister Liz Truss at Balmoral around the same time that Harry and Meghan were in Germany.

The couple is back at Frogmore Cottage, their Grace and Favour UK home, where they are expected to spend the day together before their next engagement in London tomorrow.

The German Air Force plane used by the couple has the smallest capacity for passengers and is usually reserved for senior members of the German government or armed forces.

The Bundeswehr has a fleet of transport jets, and this was the most suitable for the short trip from England.

The plane left Northolt at 9.24 pm, returning to Cologne at 11.16 pm local time, according to flight tracking service FlightAware.

The couple's visit to Germany was part of their ongoing pseudo-royal tour of Europe.

They profess to hate the stifling formality and archaic traditions of royal life, but their actions yesterday suggest otherwise.

The couple's use of a German taxpayer-owned jet has angered some fans, who accuse them of hypocrisy given their vocal stance on environmental issues.