Meghan Markle ended her extravagant $500,000 five-night trip to New York City by boarding a luxury private jet bound for the UK, just hours after she was thrown a lavish baby shower by her closest friends in a $75,000-a-night penthouse, MailOnline can reveal today.
The seven-months-pregnant duchess was pictured boarding the private plane on Wednesday evening, less than an hour after she was seen leaving her swanky Upper East Side hotel - which served as the venue for her star-studded baby shower, which was thrown for her especially by Amal Clooney and Serena Williams.
Meghan's extremely luxurious mode of transportation back to the UK - a Gulfstream G450 twin jet plane - is thought to have cost a staggering $125,000 for the six-hour journey back to the UK from the Big Apple.
The 37-year-old royal is also thought to have arrived in New York via private jet, meaning that a phenomenal $250,000 was spent on her round-trip travel for the personal girls' trip - bringing the total estimated cost of the getaway to around half a million dollars.
On Monday, Kensington Palace confirmed that Meghan's travel for the six-day trip had been 'privately funded' because it was a personal getaway but the spokesman would not comment on any other details of her visit to New York, and declined to give any official information about her security detail, or her plans while she was staying in the city.
 |
| Style: There are a number of different design options available in the Gulfstream G450, however each plane boasts several convertible sleeping areas, like the one seen left, where passengers can lie flat and get some rest |
However, exclusive video and images obtained by DailyMail.com confirms that the royal did travel on a private jet in order to return home to the UK, with several sources claiming that she used the same form of transportation in order to travel to New York at the end of last week.
A direct chartered flight on the Citation Excel - based on a seven-hour round trip from Farnborough to Bardufoss, where Harry was traveling to and from, for seven people - would cost between $23,000 (£18,200) and $28,000 (£21,450) according to Luxaviation.
Last October, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were caught up in a mid-air scare when their private jet was hit by lightning. The couple was travelling to an opening party in Amsterdam when their luxury Dassault Falcon 7X was reportedly struck.
A bolt of lightning struck the nose cone, narrowly avoiding the navigation equipment. Around 30 million volts surged through the plane's fuselage.
After the dramatic scare, the plane - which would have set the Duke and Duchess back around $26,100 (£20,000) for a return flight to Amsterdam - managed to land safely at Schiphol Airport.
However the extraordinary price of Meghan's round-trip on the private jet is a stark contrast from the amount she is believed to have spent when she reportedly visited her friend Jessica Mulroney in Toronto back in September; while only five months have passed since her three-trip, it seems much has changed as far as Meghan's travel priorities.
At the time, the duchess, who had not yet announced that she was pregnant, chose commercial airline Air Canada for her trip, with sources telling Royal Central that 'lovely' Meghan, who was accompanied by two royal protection officers, 'had one glass of champagne before settling down to watch the Book Club', a movie starring Diane Keaton, Candice Bergen, Jane Fonda, and Mary Steenburgen.
'She seemed very relaxed and sipped on peppermint tea during the journey,' the source added.
Even if Meghan and her two protection officers had chosen to fly in Business Class, which is the most expensive option offered by Air Canada, and which boasts 'lie-flat beds' for passengers, the round-trip tickets for all three of them would have cost a maximum of around $21,055.84 - which is less than a tenth of the cost of her private jet journey.
The duchess's departure from New York comes at the end of a busy five-night, six-day trip that saw her catching up with friends, enjoying several meals at some of the city's best restaurants, and, of course, being the guest of honor at her baby shower on Wednesday before flying home.
Despite her seemingly hectic schedule over the last few days - which saw her spending time with friends at hotspots like The Surrey hotel, The Polo Bar, and the Met Breuer - Meghan looked fresh-faced and glowing as she was pictured leaving The Mark a few hours after her baby shower ended.
Meghan appeared to be ready to settle down in the comfort of her private plane, and was far more dressed down than we have seen her recently, eschewing her heeled boots and chic nude pumps in favor of figure-hugging black leggings and a matching sports top that accentuated her large bump.
She also wore a black cap with the word 'Rectify' written across it, which appears to have been a gift from her friend and former Suits co-star Abigail Spencer, who actually arrived at the hotel for the baby shower earlier in the day wearing the exact same design. Rectify was the name of a SundanceTV series that Abigail starred in between 2013 and 2016.
The duchess finished off her dressed-down look with a pair of black Adidas sneakers, and she was seen carrying a large $395 Cuyana Le Sud Leather Weekender tote; the brand is known to be one of the royal's favorites, and the label has even partnered with Meghan's makeup artist Daniel Martin in the past.
As she has been for the entirety of the trip, Meghan was flanked by two plain clothes royal protection officers, as well as at least three armed officers from the State Department.
When approached earlier this week, Kensington Palace would not comment on the details surrounding the royal's security during the trip, and it is not known whether the protection officers were being paid for privately, or whether the bill was being footed by taxpayers.
Earlier this year it was announced that Meghan's armed Scotland Yard bodyguard, who accompanied the expectant mother on her royal tour of Australia with Prince Harry last year, was quitting her post after less than a year in the role. The inspector's appointment as head of protection made her the first woman to hold such a key post for the royals, and she was regularly pictured guarding Meghan on overseas trips
No comments:
We have Zero Tolerance to Spam. Chessy Comments and Comments with Links will be deleted immediately upon our review.
Post a Comment