Prince Harry and Meghan Markle face heat for supporting fossil fuel bankroll firm

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are being criticised for attending an Alternative Investment Summit sponsored by JP Morgan, a US multi-national investment giant that finances fossil fuel firms, despite their eco-friendly stance.

The hatred comes amid reports that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been paid up to £775,000 by the firm for attending the summit held in Miami last week. The summit was the first joint public appearance of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex since they announced their decision to become "financially independent" members of the British royal family.

The royal couple, who has in the past stressed upon how fossil fuel emission is jeopardising the earth and spoken of a "ticking clock" to save the planet, are being slammed for making ties with JP Morgan, which has been accused of pumping £61billion into companies behind fracking and Arctic oil and gas exploration, reports The Sun.

"PR guru Mark Borkowski said Harry and Meghan's association with JP Morgan was "not the best look," and added: "How they accept money, and from whom, is going to be a challenge going forward."

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said about the move: "They need to be careful. If you preach, you should practice what you preach. When it comes to the rich and famous there is an awful lot of hypocrisy over climate change."

Meanwhile, Twitter users have also expressed disappointment with the royal couple for attending the summit. A user wrote: "Prince Harry paid to speak at JP Morgan event. Did he know the bank was fined a total of $43.7bn - the second highest - from the financial crisis to early 2018 for things like money laundering and failing to protect clients." Another tweeted: "They better not say another word about being good to the environment if this is who they are going to hang with."

"Financing led by JP Morgan has provided new investment for fossil fuel companies, most aggressively expanding in new coal, oil and gas projects. Harry and Meghan need to choose wisely," another user wrote.

Harry reportedly made an address at the investment summit, which was attended by an audience of 425 bankers and several celebrities. According to The Sunday Times, the 35-year-old spoke about dealing with the death of his mother Diana, the Princess of Wales and his decision to step back as a senior member of the royal family.