The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge 's decision to take a budget flight amid Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's private jet row could be the couple's way of hitting back, a royal expert has claimed.
Kate, William and their children Prince George , Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis were seen walking onto a £73 FlyBe flight from Norwich to Aberdeen yesterday morning.
A video taken by a fellow passenger shows dad Wills was seen carrying a number of bags as they boarded the flight, while his wife was holding little Louis.
News of the family's bargain journey came just days after Meghan and Harry were heavily criticised for taking four private flights in just 11 days, travelling to Ibiza for a holiday and then to Nice to stay in Elton John's villa.
Many fans labelled them hypocritical for travelling in gas-guzzling private planes while campaigning about the environment.
Royal author Phil Dampier said: “The contrast between William, Kate and family travelling on a cheap budget flight to Scotland and Harry and Meghan using private jets couldn’t be starker.
“A cynic might say the Cambridges have done it deliberately, bearing in mind the recent stories about the two brothers and their wives not getting on.
“Harry and Meghan made a point of saying there were only have two children to save the planet knowing William and Kate have had three.
“Could this be William and Kate hitting back?”
Phil, who wrote Royally Suited: Harry and Meghan In Their Own Words, added: “At the very least they know they would have been criticised if they had taken a private jet.”
A fellow passenger said: “The family were sat right at the front.
"No one knew they were on the flight. Later I realised Kate’s mum was a few rows in front of me.”
Another added: “I couldn’t believe my eyes. You don’t expect to see royalty on a budget airliner.”
The cost for their flight is estimated to be around £365. In contrast, a private Cessna jet such as the one Harry, 34, and his 38-year-old wife took is around £20,000 to hire.
Pal Sir Elton John, who shared an emotional post defending the Sussexes' holiday, said he paid for the trip to Nice.
The singer insisted it was a carbon-neutral flight as he made an “appropriate contribution” to a carbon footprint fund.
But Greenpeace’s Doug Parr said the move is “not the answer that’s meaningful in terms of the climate challenge we face”.
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