Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who are vocal environmentalists, have been criticized by the media for traveling by private jets.

After the Duke and Duchess of Sussex took a charter flight to see Elton John in Nice, France, the Rocketman singer issued a public statement defending them, stating that he compensated for the journey as well as a carbon reduction to offset the environmental cost of their private air travel.

Until now, Harry and Meghan have chosen not to react to the backlash.

The father of baby Archie Harrison justified his family’s need to travel private on occasion at the launch of Travalyst, a new eco-tourism venture in Amsterdam on Tuesday.

According to the Associated Press, the 34-year-old said, “I came here by commercial.”

He went on to say, “We can all do better.” “And while no is perfect, we are all responsible for our individual impact. The question is what we do to balance it out.”

In reaction to the uproar about Meghan and Harry’s exclusive mode of transportation, Sir Elton John tweeted last month:

“Prince Harry’s Mother, Diana Princess Of Wales was one of my dearest friends. I feel a profound sense of obligation to protect Harry and his family from the unnecessary press intrusion that contributed to Diana’s untimely death.

“After a hectic year of hard work and dedication to charity, [my husband] David and I wanted the young family to have a private holiday inside the safety and tranquility of our home,” she said.

“To maintain a high level of much-needed protection, we provided them with a private jet flight.”

Critics contend that Harry and Meghan’s decisions undermine their public position on climate change, pointing out that aviation is a big polluter, accounting for more than 2% of global pollution. A private jet’s environmental impact is therefore significantly larger than that of a passenger aircraft.

Buckingham Palace did not react to a request for comment.

Earlier this month, during a talk with activist Jane Goodall in an edition of British Vogue guest-edited by Meghan, Harry said he plans to have two children “maximum,” in order to protect the world. He also mentioned climate change’s “terrifying” consequences.

In July, the pair focused on the world on their Instagram account @sussexroyal. “With nearly 7.7 billion people inhabiting this Earth, every choice, every footprint, every action makes a difference.” a statement reads.

The royals flying private jets, according to Lucy Gilliam, aviation and shipping officer for the advocacy group Transport and Environment, “sends the wrong message.”

“Private jets are similar to commercial jets except they fly with less people, so therefore the footprint (per person) is much higher,” Gilliam said. “Private jets consume 10 times more per person than commercial jets,” she added.

When it comes to royal families and celebrities’ travel patterns, Gilliam believes it is “valid to point out the hypocrisy of the royal families and celebrities”

“It is about high time that celebrities and people who consider themselves knowledgeable about this issue actually turn to look at their own individual behaviors,” she said.

“If we’re serious about tackling climate change we have to be serious… We’re not going to solve this problem if the elite are not going to change their behavior.”