William and Kate eschewed high carbon-emitting private jet travel for a commercial flight to Boston today for events to highlight the climate crisis.
The Royal couple were captured in cellphone pictures by a fellow traveler on the British Airways plane which landed on Wednesday afternoon in the Massachusetts city.
The images were shared by Tiffany Chan, a reporter at WBZ. “FIRST GLIMPSE! Passengers on the British Airways flight to Boston said the Royal couple was ‘utterly delightful’. The Prince and Princess of Wales spoke briefly to the others in first class — explaining why they are coming to Boston,” she tweeted.
While flying is hardly a climate-friendly pursuit, commercial air travel is better for the environment that flying in private jets.
A 2021 report from the European transport campaign group, Transport & Environment, found that private jets are five to 14 times more polluting than commercial planes (per passenger).
It is their first trip abroad since the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the ascension to the throne of King Charles III.
The Prince and Princess of Wales, as they are now titled, have not visited America since 2014 when they attended events in New York City and Washington, DC.
The couple will attend an awards ceremony on Friday for the Earthshot environmental prize, founded by Prince William. They will also meet with Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and visit the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum where they will meet his daughter Caroline Kennedy.
This is a breaking news article and is being updated
