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Meghan Markle, Prince Harry face backlash after attending Miami summit

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle — usually outspoken on environmental issues — are taking heat for attending a ritzy summit hosted by JP Morgan, which has been accused of pumping billions into fossil fuel firms, according to a new report.

The investment giant is believed to have paid the Sussexes up to 775,000 British pounds — more than $1 million — to attend its exclusive Alternative Investment Summit in Miami last week, their first engagement since leaving the royal family, the Sun reported.

Experts and Twitter users alike criticized the pair — who have previously denounced “fossil fuel emissions … jeopardizing” the Earth and spoken of a “ticking clock to save the planet” — for supporting a firm like JP Morgan.

The investment giant is said to have pumped about $67 billion into companies behind fracking, as well as Arctic oil and gas exploration, the Rainforest Action Network (RAN) said in its Banking on Climate Change 2019 report.

British PR guru and author Mark Borkowski told the Sun that the Sussexes’ association with JP Morgan was “not the best look.”

“How they accept money, and from whom, is going to be a challenge going forward,” Borkowski said.

“They need to be careful,” royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told the outlet. “If you preach, you should practice what you preach. When it comes to the rich and famous, there is an awful lot of hypocrisy over climate change.”

Twitter users also voiced their disapproval.

“Financing led by JP Morgan has provided more than $700bn of new investment for fossil fuel companies, most aggressively expanding in new coal, oil and gas projects,” one user wrote. “Harry and Meghan need to choose wisely.”

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1 Hotel South Beach, where Meghan Markle and Prince Harry spoke at a JP Morgan bank event.
1 Hotel South Beach, Miami, where Meghan Markle and Prince Harry spoke at a JP Morgan bank event on Thursday night.SplashNews.com
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Prince Harry and Meghan MarkleGetty Images
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“They better not say another word about being good to the environment if this is who they are going to hang with,” another posted.

JP Morgan declined to comment to the Sun about RAN’s allegations. Representatives for both RAN and the Sussexes did not respond to requests for comment.

Harry spoke at the Thursday summit about his mental health, sharing that he has been in therapy for the past three years as he continues to cope with the death of his mother, Princess Diana.