'Semi royals?': Prince Harry and Meghan Markle flew to and from Dusseldorf on German taxpayer funded jet
DUSSELDORF, GERMANY: Despite apparently being against all things formal and royal, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle appeared to be enjoying a bit of it while traveling to Dusseldorf to promote the Invictus Games to be held in 2023. The pair reportedly jetted to and from the German city in the country’s taxpayer-owned Luftwaffe jet.
The $50M jet, reserved only for high-ranking politicians and officials, was sent to London to pick them up on Tuesday, September 6. The Daily Mail reported that the Sussexes boarded the Bombardier Global 5000 from RAF Northolt at 11.34am before reaching Dusseldorf Airport around 1.23pm. They were then escorted to the event’s venue in a black Porsche Cayenne.
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The publication added that at 8.51 pm, the jet left Dusseldorf, landing back at Northolt under an hour later. They were then driven 20 miles to Windsor. The plane left Northolt at 9.24pm, returning to Cologne at 11.16pm local time. According to an insider, “The Bundeswehr have a fleet of transport jets and this was most suitable for the short trip from England. It has the smallest capacity for passengers.”
They noted, “There isn’t a military base in Dusseldorf so the plane flew from Cologne and picked up the guests at RAF Northolt. It flew the party back to the same place and returned to Cologne. The Bundeswehr are proud to be associated with the games to help with wounded war veterans and the offer was made when we were awarded the games. The same offer will apply next year when the games start.”
Besides, it has been reported that Harry and Meghan’s visit to Dusseldorf was widely appreciated by locals. A city official declared, “We could not be happier with the way the visit went. The couple were absolutely charming and everyone was pleased when they went to meet the crowds who had stood for a long time in the sun to see them.”
The Duke addressed the crowd at Merkur Spiel-Arena as he said, “From what I've witnessed today already, I have a good sense of how we will bring the motto of these games - A Home For Respect - to life. It is my belief that showing respect and appreciation is just as important as experiencing respect and appreciation. That's the spirit we're bringing to Dusseldorf.”
Tuesday's event happened a day after the couple attended the One Young World Summit on Monday, September 5. The Duchess of Sussex addressed the people there saying, “It is very nice to be back in the UK, and it is very nice to be back with all of you at One Young World. As you'll likely hear many times this week, as we just heard you'll hear all sorts of things, some very heavy, some very uplifting, but the resounding spirit I believe you will hear is that you are the future. But I would like to add to that, that you are also the present.”
The 41-year-old former actress added, “It was several years ago in 2014 that I was first invited to be a counselor at One Young World and in many ways at the time I was probably a lot like each of you; young, ambitious, advocating for the things that I deeply and profoundly believed in. And also, looking around and wondering, 'How on earth did I get here?' I was so overwhelmed by this experience. But One Young World saw in me what I wanted to see fully in myself. They saw in me, just as I see in you, the present and the future.”