The Duchess of Sussex has reportedly taken a commercial trans-Atlantic flight in a last-minute dash to New York to watch her friend Serena Williams play in the U.S. Open tennis final.
The Times of London says the duchess is expected to return to Britain at the end of the weekend. “It is a last-minute trip,” a source told the newspaper. “Excited to support her friend, and then come back.”
The duchess is understood to be solo, without Harry or baby Archie and without any staff, although she is expected to be accompanied by her security team. Her trip may help explain why she and Prince Harry decided not to visit the Queen at Balmoral this weekend.
Nevertheless, her trip comes in the same week her husband, climate advocate Prince Harry, flew to Amsterdam to caution holidaymakers and tourism chiefs about the damage being done to the environment by frequent flyers.
In August he flew by private jet to Sicily to warn an elite audience of business leaders and celebrities gathered at Google’s annual deluxe retreat that immediate action is needed to avoid an approaching climate catastrophe.
This is Meghan’s first trip to New York since her baby shower when she partied for five nights at a £57,000-a-night penthouse with her celebrity friends, the Daily Mail reports.
The party, which caused disquiet in Britain due to its eye-watering estimated total bill of £330,000, was hosted by Williams and her long-standing friend Jessica Mulroney.
The Royal couple are no strangers to international travel despite their claims to be respecting the environment and call for others to do likewise.
The two flew to Ibiza by private jet on August 6 for Meghan’s 38th birthday. Days later, they flew to Nice on a £15million Cessna plane described as the “pinnacle of luxury”.
Sir Elton John said he paid for their flights to his holiday home and made an “appropriate contribution” to a carbon footprint fund to offset the environmental impact.
As for the latest trip, a Kensington Palace spokesman told MailOnline: “We wouldn’t comment on private travel” which rules out any explanation for why Meghan Markle did not simply watch her friend play on television like thousands of other sports fans in the UK.
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