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Cape Town – Prince William and Kate Middleton were recently spotted boarding a commercial, budget flight.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were reportedly on their way to Scotland with Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis and family nanny, Maria Borrallo, and took an 8:45 am FlyBe flight that cost £73 (R1350), reports Daily Mail.
The publication spoke to passengers that were "none the wiser" they were on the same flight as the royals and in a description said they were looking like "your archetypal family".
It's not lost on us that the Cambridges took a commercial flight amid Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's jet plane drama.
The couple recently came under fire for boarding a private jet to vacation with baby Archie – something royal commentators felt made the environmentally conscious couple look like hypocrites even though Elton John revealed it was his private jet and he made sure their flight was carbon neutral.
READ MORE HERE: Elton John speaks of his 'dearest friend' Princess Diana as he defends Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
But for the Sussex naysayers, let's clear the air around Prince Harry and Meghan's jet plane controversy anyway.
ALSO READ: 'It's enough' – Celebs come to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's defence
WHEN CAN AND SHOULD THE ROYALS FLY COMMERCIAL VS PRIVATE?
For the royals, flying commercial vs private depends on what they're off to do.
Vogue explains, if they're acting as public figures and carrying out their royal duties, they can take a private jet if it's in the state interest. For this reason, other state officials and world leaders often jet off to wherever their presence is needed as well. For the most part, it's for convenience, efficiency and safety.
Like in Prince William and Kate's case, the royals do fly commercial, but when they're not on official business, they're absolutely prohibited from using state-sanctioned jets.
But as the publication points out, "The keywords are state-sanctioned.
"The planes of other private citizens are fair game. Kate and William, for example, allegedly borrow close friend and British billionaire Hugh Grosvenor's plane for an occasional vacation."
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex borrowed Elton John's private jet for the family vacation, but of course, royal commentators weren't upset after assuming they misused taxpayers money – this time. It was the assumption they were recklessly adding to their carbon footprint, even though Elton John cleared that up as well.
So it's also not lost on us that no matter what Prince Harry and Meghan Markle do, people are always going to have something to say.
To quote senior digital news editor for Town & Country, Caroline Hallemann, "This latest wave of criticism can't be viewed in a vacuum. It's part of an avalanche of intense judgment that the couple—and particularly the Duchess—faces about every aspect of their life. How Meghan holds her baby, the way she wears her hair, the ways she has (or has not) broken royal protocol—these are all endlessly picked apart.
"Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Could Fly Commercial—But It Won't Stop the Backlash," she writes, noting that Prince William and Kate Middleton, as well as Prince Charles, have all done the same thing the Duke and Duchess of Sussex has, even though they can and are encouraged by the queen to fly commercial now and then.
Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth never flies commercial, reports POPSUGAR. She's The Queen of England, after all. And she always travels with a black outfit and vile of blood wherever she goes. But more on that here:
The bizarre items Queen Elizabeth carries when she travels has us shook!
