Elton John’s relationship with Prince Harry goes way back. The singer—who befriended Princess Diana in the 1980s—performed at both Diana’s funeral and at Harry’s wedding to Meghan Markle. He even spoke up in favor of Meghan after the couple’s engagement was announced. On Monday, he swooped in again after another mini-scandal erupted over the couple’s private plane usage.

On Sunday night, the Daily Mail reported that the couple and their three-month-old son, Archie were spotted deplaning at an airport in the south of France. This trip came only days after a previous trip by private plane. Last week, the Spanish newspaper El País reported that Meghan and Harry took a trip to Ibiza just days after her 38th birthday, adding that they traveled by private jet. It led to a round of criticism aimed at the perceived hypocrisy of the royals who are outspoken about environmental conservation and climate change.

In a tweet, John said that the couple was staying at his house in Nice, and that he had provided them with the private jet flight. “I feel a profound sense of obligation to protect Harry and his family from the unnecessary press intrusion that contributed to Diana’s untimely death,” he wrote in a subsequent tweet. In addition, he said that the flight was made carbon neutral by paying for carbon offsets.

It’s the third time that the Sussexes have been in the news for using a private jet this summer. In late July, Harry reportedly arrived in Sicily by private jet when he attended a Google Camp event and spoke about climate change—barefoot. Private jet use isn’t especially common among the royals, many of whom often fly on British Airways when they can. In fact, Harry and Meghan were spotted on a British Airways flight to Nice back in late 2017.

The private jet use coincides with a few instances of public talk about their environmental stances. In an issue of Vogue that Meghan guest edited, she included a feature on 16-year-old climate change activist Greta Thunberg. In the same issue, Harry had a conversation with environmentalist Jane Goodall about climate change. He added that he had decided to limit his family to two children because of the environmental impact of having more.

The Daily Mail added that an expert said the flight would have cost £20,000 to rent, helpfully adding that “there are more than 20 scheduled commercial flights from London airports to Nice each Wednesday from as little as £100 for a return.” Per the report, the airplane was registered to NetJets, a company that sells access to a fleet of private jets. According to their website, people often buy their shares in 25-hour increments.

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