Meghan Markle leaves Harry and Archie to fly commercial to New York to see Serena Williams in US Open final – but her flight is delayed an HOUR
MEGHAN Markle has jetted to New York alone to watch her friend Serena Williams play in the US Open final - but her flight is thought to have been delayed by an hour.
The Duchess of Sussex is believed to have taken the 8.25am flight from London Heathrow to the Big Apple, but it took off after its scheduled time, finally leaving the tarmac 30 minutes late.
The flight had been due to arrive in New York at 11.05am local time, but it eventually touched down at 12.22pm.
According to The Times, the 38-year-old left four-month-old Archie to fly commercial, following backlash over taking four private jets in 11 days.
The mum-of-one is said to have flown this morning and is expected to return to the UK at the end of the weekend.
A source told the publication: “It is a last-minute trip. Excited to support her friend, and then come back.”
The Duchess of Sussex is thought to be flying by herself, leaving behind Prince Harry, 34, and baby Archie, who was born in May, and her staff.
Meghan Markle is expected to be accompanied by her security team, however.
Meghan is said to have been keen to support Serena, 37, and stayed up late to watch her play in the semi-finals last night.
The game only lasted 70 minutes after Serena beat opponent Elina Svitolina, 24, in two sets.
It was all over at 1am; and less than seven hours after Meghan boarded a plane to New York.
It hasn’t been confirmed which airline the duchess flew from, but she is believed to have travelled first class.
The trip comes as Prince Harry incorrectly claimed he flies commercially 99 per cent of the time.
It turns out the Duke of Sussex used private jets for 6 out of 10 flights since marrying Meghan Markle in May 2019.
The couple have recently come under fire for preaching about how everyone should “do their bit” in reducing their carbon footprint.
Meghan Markle’s impromptu trip across the Atlantic for a few days is likely to anger critics who have been labelling the royal couple “hypocrites” in recent months.
Buckingham Palace was contacted but declined to comment.
The final will take place tomorrow and will see Serena, who became a mum to daughter Alexis Olympia last September, take on 19-year-old Canadian player Bianca Andreescu in the final.
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It comes after Meghan Markle hired a crisis management firm that once represented Harvey Weinstein in a bid to improve her image.
Last month, TV host Ellen DeGeneres, 61, leapt to the “eco-warrior” couple’s defence after they were branded “hypocrites” for taking four private jets in 11 days.