A host of A-list celebrities faced an angry backlash today after they traveled to a climate change conference in Italy in a fleet of supercars, expensive yachts, and more than 100 private jets.
Guests at the secretive Google Camp were accused of hypocrisy after they gathered this week to discuss the environment while leaving a considerable carbon footprint of their own.
Prince Harry is understood to have given a passionate barefoot speech about saving the planet, although Buckingham Palace has refused to confirm his attendance or whether he too traveled by private jet.
‘This is not something we are commenting on,’ a spokeswoman told MailOnline.
Some 114 fuel-guzzling planes were scheduled to land in Palermo for the elite gathering, according to Italian media, while others brought their super-yachts to a three-day conference whose guests include Katy Perry and Harry Styles.
BBC presenter Andrew Neil was among those to point out the irony, saying: ‘Scores of celebrities and the rich have arrived in Sicily for a Google conference. They came in 114 private jets and a flotilla of superyachts. The conference is on global warming.’
Taking aim at the guests, Boston Robb said: ‘Tree-hugging celebs take jets to extravagant Google Camp. Ahhh yes they’ll all ‘talk’ about climate change once they all arrive privately in their own jets and yachts.’
Former U.S. House candidate Elizabeth Heng joined in the criticism, saying: ‘How ironic. For all this talk about saving the earth, 114 private jets chartered to attend this conference. Eliminating carbon footprint, eh?’
Another Twitter user said: ‘Look, in theory, the google camp is a good idea but it’s ironic that all the celebs turn up in private jets and superyachts… then talk about saving the world at a decadently extravagant Italian resort.
‘Hope they spend some time discussing their own impact on the environment.’
One commenter described guests at the three-day event as the ‘Greenerati’ and scorned them for showing ‘climate concern’ while flying on private planes.
Gregory Taylor took aim at ‘rich people most likely flying in on private jet and then lecturing us on climate change’.
Another Twitter user said: ‘Is there anything more hypocritical than a bunch of rich people flying their private jets across the world to sit on yachts and discuss the future of our planet?’
Supermodel Naomi Campbell was among the guests and reportedly gave a speech about Nelson Mandela at the secretive event.
Former President Barack Obama was also rumored to be among those attending the event but has not been spotted so far.
Orlando Bloom, Stella McCartney, Diane Von Furstenberg, and Gayle King were also spotted arriving at the Verdura Resort in Sicily for the welcome dinner on Monday.
On Tuesday, even more guests arrived at the property, with Nick Jonas and new wife Priyanka Chopra leading the charge of celebrities heading to the island for the three-day conference which is believed to have begun on Monday and finished last night.
Styles was seen behind the wheel of a luxury car while driving with his friends Jeff Azoff and Ben Winston to the temple.
Spanish singer-songwriter Rosalia, who later performed on stage on Tuesday, posted a picture of herself getting ready for the event and then walking around the temple ruins.
Coldplay also performed at the temple on the final night on Wednesday.
Prince Harry also attended the event back in 2017 – and may have taken Meghan Markle along with him.
The pair made their first public appearance together at a polo match in Ascot in May that year, and a week after the Google conference she was spotted in London with her mother celebrating her birthday.
The event, created by Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, sees some of the world’s wealthiest business leaders and tech gurus discussing various issues in morning sessions before relaxing in the Italian sunshine in the afternoon.
This year’s secretive camp, where social media is banned and the itinerary locked behind a password-protected site, will focus on tackling global warming, reports the New York Post.
One attendee said: ‘There will likely be discussions about online privacy, politics, human rights, and of course, the environment, which makes it highly ironic that this event requires 114 private jets to happen.’
Luxury megayacht the Andromeda, which is owned by billionaire Kiwi Graeme Hart has been spotted just offshore, as has Barry Diller’s sailing vessel Eos.
David Geffen’s Rising Sun did swing by briefly on Monday to drop off Perry and Bloom but then continued on its way up the Italian coast.
As well as private jets and megayachts, there are buses to herd guests around and a helicopter pad.
After morning sessions, afternoons are free for guests to relax around the complex and spa, with trips around the coast, to local wineries and to tourist hot spots on offer.
The resort boasts two 18-hole golf courses, a tennis academy and one of the largest spa complexes in all of Europe on its over one mile of private coastline.
There are a number of suites and private rooms as well as three villas for guests to stay.
Those villas look out on to individual pools as well as the property’s massive infinity pool and stunning private beach, filled with imported white sand, a jetty, and even a small carpet to take pampered stars into the crystal blue ocean waters.
On the final night, Google spends close to $100,000 renting the 2,500-year-old Valley of the Temples ruins for a concert and sit-down meal, with Sting performing there last summer.
Read more at Daily Mail
I’m surprised the Palermo airport could park over 100 private jets. It’s not that large of an airport. Or did they have their pilots fly the jets somewhere else, dumping even more of that bad stuff into the air (that bad stuff that is critical for life on earth and is greening the planet as it rises).
Just soon as they start living in grass huts without windows and without Electricity,Running Water without Phones Lights and Motor Cars live like they did on Gilligan’s Island then maybe i’ll take these show offs seriously
Now let us all see their Carbon Footprints How many Football fields is that Just look at them show offs those arrogant pompoius old Peacocks strutting around and showing off thinking their so much better then us ordinary birds and we just ignore them and their foolish behavior
Now lets see their Carbon Footprints way bigger then the average American Family can leave in one year But as usial these arrogant pompios old Peacocks just strunt around making big show of it all while the rest of us ordinary birds go about our everyday lives and ignore them