Prince Harry was spotted arriving for a flight on a private jet to set off for a one-day polo match – before the aircraft sat idling on the tarmac for at least 30 minutes as it waited for his staff to arrive in a gas-guzzling SUV to drop off his polo kit.
The Duke of Sussex boarded the $9million Bombardier Challenger 600 at a Santa Barbara airport around 11am on Wednesday to head to the event in Aspen to compete in a round robin tournament.
Harry, who regularly preaches his views about the ‘climate crisis’ hitting the world, arrived at the airport close to his $14million Montecito home in an electric Audi SUV.
But he then sat in the idling private jet for 30 minutes before the royal’s staff arrived with his polo gear in a black Range Rover at around 11.35am.
Two men were then seen ferrying Harry’s green kit bag and mallets to the plane in a golf cart before placing them in the cargo hold.
The private jet is owned by Florida-based businessman Marc Ganzi, who is a longtime friend of Harry’s and a polo enthusiast.
The Ganzi family have played with Harry’s brother William and father Prince Charles previously in London several times, and are already at the club in Colorado ahead of the event today.
Ahead of the one-day event, Harry said he and his team were ‘delighted to return once again to the stunning grounds of Aspen Valley Polo Club for the annual Sentebale ISPS Handa Polo Cup’.
Harry is set to join his friend Nachos Figueras at the event, where they will be playing on the same team during the round robin event.
The prince and the Argentinian have played on the same polo team together in various matches over the years, with the polo star attending the royal wedding and was among the first to meet his son Archie in 2019.
It is unclear if his wife Meghan Markle, 40, or two children, Archie and Lilibet, will be cheering the Duke on from the sidelines or if they will remain at home in their 9-bedroom mansion.
The couple have been slammed on multiple occasions for being hypocrites for their use of private jets, despite preaching about ‘making a difference’ and the need for ‘urgent intervention’ to halt climate change.
Read More: Not very eco-friendly! Prince Harry sits in idling $9 million private jet
