Prince Harry and Meghan Markle dubbed 'least eco-friendly royals' in new survey

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are the least eco-friendly among the 10 most senior members of the British royal family, a new study has claimed.

A survey conducted by Save On Energy branded Prince Harry and Meghan Markle the least eco-friendly royals, owing to their private jet-setting lifestyle. The survey which was evaluating the 10 most senior royals on the basis of five key environmental measures awarded the bottom two spots to the Duke and the Duchess of Sussex.

The couple, who are no longer serving as senior members of the British royal family, got just nine points each for positive measures from March 2019 until their exit from 'The Firm' was finalised in March this year. Their score is far less from the 156 points awarded to Harry's father, Prince Charles.

The Prince of Wales has emerged as the most eco-friendly royal thanks to his support of environmental charities. His wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, came second with 84 points. The duo emerged as the winner as a couple as well, getting 240 points in total while Harry and Meghan got 18.

Harry's nine points mostly came from advocating environmental causes through social media, while the former American actress got points for her "eco-friendly wardrobe," which mostly consists of pieces from sustainable fashion brands such as Stella McCartney, Rothy, Veja, and Millie.

However, the Sussexes didn't make any direct action to help the environment, while their private jet trips cost them negative points. Save On Energy stated that the couple "engaged considerably less than others with environmental charities and engagements" and had "the third-worst carbon footprint of all royals studied."

According to a report in The Sun, their private-jet trips to South Africa which also marked their last visit as working royals had almost the same carbon footprint as most Britishers emit in an entire year. The Sussexes are still ahead of the most eco-friendly royal in this regard, as Prince Charles also has the worst travel footprint of all, followed by Prince William.

The report by Save on Energy explained: "Despite having been awarded points for owning an electric car and Meghan's loyalty to sustainable fashion brands, Harry and Meghan engaged considerably less than others with environmental charities and engagements between March 2019 and 2020, which hinders their score. They also had the third-worst carbon footprint of all royals studied."

Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, was placed as the third most eco-friendly royal with zero points deducted for travel footprint. Kate Middleton followed him on the fourth spot for her sustainable fashion and social media posts about the environment, while Queen Elizabeth II was on the fifth spot.

Prince William earned himself the sixth spot with 15 points, while his uncle Prince Edward was on the seventh position with 11. Princess Anne was in the eighth position with 10 points, followed closely by Harry and Meghan with nine points each.