Monarch Criticised for Inviting Frequent Jet-Setter to Present Sustainability Award
King Charles has been accused of hypocrisy by environmental campaigners after inviting DJ Cuppy, known as Florence Otedola, a frequent private jet user, to present a significant award at The Prince’s Trust annual award show in May.
Otedola, who references her love of planes in her 2020 song Jollof on The Jet, presented the Global Sustainability Award and later attended a special reception with Charles at Buckingham Palace.
Criticism arose from a climate group in response to the monarch's choice. Magdalena Heuwieser, co-founder of Stay Grounded, which advocates for banning private jets, commented: “It is hypocritical to choose someone who glamourises private jets to present a sustainability award. Private jets are the most climate-wrecking form of transport.”
A spokesman for the Prince's Trust — now operating as The King's Trust International — defended the event, saying: “We are committed to helping young people gain green skills, develop climate literacy and secure green jobs.”
Throughout his life, Charles has championed environmental issues and has been a leading climate change advocate, having given his first speech on the matter at age 21. He has spent years campaigning for conservation, organic farming, and other eco causes.
While sustainability has gained popularity in recent years, Bob Ward, a policy and communications director, noted that the King’s passion for the environment was once seen as an “oddity” in his early years.
In May, during an address to the United Nations, the monarch warned that the planet is at a “crucial moment” and stressed that “action is needed.” Speaking at the UN 4th International Conference on Small Islands Developing States, Charles called for “bold and determined action” to protect vulnerable nations from climate change and nature loss.
