Prince William and Kate Middleton took a budget flight to Scotland as certain members of the royal family have reportedly faced intense criticism for their spendy travel habits. According to The Daily Mail , the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge took a $90-per-seat flight to visit the Queen at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry purportedly faced backlash after taking four different private jets for their 11 days of summer vacation this year. The Duchess of Sussex is a strong proponent of addressing climate change, but she and her husband were called hypocritical after flying from London to Ibiza and then to Nice. Others said that the flights were an expensive way to travel and looked bad for the royal family.
Claims were made that Meghan and Harry had to travel private because there were security concerns, but an expert on the royal family says that’s just not so.
“There was a lot of nonsense spoken earlier in the week about how Prince Harry and Meghan Markle needed to fly in private jets because of security concerns,” said Robert Jobson, who authored a best-selling biography on Prince Charles. “But the Royal Family have been using cheap airlines for years, Princess Diana would do it frequently.”
William, Kate, and the rest of their family weren’t interested in such extravagant travel as they made their way north. They were seen on a public plane flying with the rest of the public, looking like your average family on holiday.
“The family were sat right at the front. I fly this route all the time and we were none the wiser. No one knew they were on the flight,” said one passenger.
Prince William, Kate Middleton and their children are seen getting off a £73 budget flight to Scotland https://t.co/xWkpQUxKAp pic.twitter.com/wgwpESmCrw
— Daily Mail U.K. (@DailyMailUK) August 22, 2019
William and Kate traveled with their children: George, 6, Charlotte, 4, and Louis, 1. Their nanny Maria Borrallo and Kate’s mother were along for the trip as well. The couple carried their own luggage as they exited the 44-seat airplane.
The budget travel stands in stark contrast to the reportedly pricey vacationing of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
“William and Kate flying on a budget airline proves you can do it,” Jobson said before adding that there were no problems on the flight and the royal family was accompanied by their security detail in case there was an issue.
The royal family has been facing criticism over their spending habits in general, so the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge showed the public that it’s possible for the royals to travel in a more humble fashion.