Chris Martin made a rare appearance with his former wife Gwyneth Paltrow recently, when the pair spent a long weekend in Paris with their two children.
As part of the trip, the co-parents, who split some 10 years ago, presented their daughter Apple Martin, 20, to the annual Débutantes ball in the French capital on November 30, prompting some to criticise Chris, who is known for his anti-poverty campaigning.
Apple donned a Valentino strapless sky blue gown from the designer’s Spring 2025 collection which took a staggering 750 hours to complete.
She was among around 20 young women who were presented at the prestigious Le Bal des Débutantes held in the $1,000-a-night Hotel Shangri-La.
In fitting with tradition, each of the young women attending the event at the Hotel Shangri-La in Paris ‘presented’ at Le Bal were accompanied by a young man, known as a chevalier.
While the débutantes took centre stage, each was paired with their chevalier young men, to make their grand entrance at the ball.
Apple’s dashing plus one Leo hails from the Austro-Hungarian noble family House of Henckel von Donnersmarck.
Leo is the son of film director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck and Christiane Asschenfeldt, the first International Executive Director of Creative Commons.
Coldplay’s lead singer Chris Martin is pictured supporting Oxfam’s Make Trade Fair campaign in 2002
The musician has also been a long-term supporter of the Global Citizen Campaign (pictured speaking at the organisation’s launch party in 2015)
Debutantes on the list of attendees included European royalty as well as the daughters of A-list celebrities. Ava Philippe, 25, the daughter of Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Philippe, attended in 2017. Emily in Paris star, Lily Collins, 35, made her debut in 2007.
However, while it is not uncommon for the offspring of A-listers to attend the lavish event, her appearance raised some questions about Chris Martin‘s conflicting interests.
The Coldplay frontman has been known to campaign for a number for organisations, including Amnesty International, among others.
Chris, 47, who has previously been reported as donating 10 per cent of his earnings to charity, notably supported Oxfam’s Fair Trade campaign in the early 2000s.
In 2003, he wrote a column for the Guardian, which was titled: ‘If a few people were slightly less greedy, the people at the bottom would have an awful lot more.’
The piece described how he felt ‘shocked’ when visiting Haiti with Oxfam the previous year, saying that it could be a beautiful Caribbean island, but instead ‘looked like a war zone’.
Explaining why he was supporting Oxfam’s Fair Trade Campaign, he wrote: ‘Smaller, poor countries are being totally ripped off by the trade rules that the bigger, Western countries impose. As consumers, we need to think about what we’re buying, and whether the farmers who grow it are getting a fair deal.’
Last December, Chris swapped his lavish lifestyle for a day out to help at a local homeless charity coffee shop in London’s Finsbury Park.
In 2003, Chris Martin (pictured left) attended another Oxfam Make Trade Fair event, this time in Cancun (pictured with guitarist John Buckland)
In what some believe is in contrast to his anti-poverty campaigning, Chris Martin and his daughter Apple Martin (both pictured) attended a debutante ball in Paris on November 30
He got stuck into his shift at the Crisis’ branch to raise money for the homeless – especially through the cold winter months.
The singer, who often volunteers at their warehouse around the festive period, chose to put in a shift in front of the public that time round.
Praising Chris for joining the coffee shop this Christmas, Crisis’ chief executive Matt Downie shared some pictures from their wholesome day.
Alongside the pictures, he wrote: ‘There was a very special guest working in the Finsbury Park @crisis_uk shop today… Chris Martin is a treasured, long-standing volunteer and supporter. One of the nicest people you could hope to meet.’
The musician has also been a vocal supporter of the Global Citizen Festival, attending a number of the organisation’s events – including a surprise appearance at its 2024 festival in New York City, performing an acoustic set alongside Ed Sheeran.
And he has leant his time and support to other issues, publicly campaigning and speaking out on issues like poverty.
But despite his charity work, the musician came under fire from some social media users, in a thread on UK parenting website Mumsnet.
Some commentators felt his presence at the ball was at odds with his previous campaign work.
One wrote: ‘I thought Chris Martin was all about equality and make poverty history? All sits a bit uncomfortably with me.’
Another added: ‘I found it all so bizarre and think Apple comes across as very entitled. Which word salad Gwyneth thinks is a good thing, as she talks about the confidence of girls these days. Well, certain girls who are in their own bubble.’
A third wrote: ‘Rich people being rich people. And the original purpose to display women of marriageable age to eligible bachelors within an acceptable, select circle was gross then and is gross now, even if it is only being done now as an excuse to have a party and spend an obscene amount of money.’
Apple’s appearance at the debutante ball prompted some criticism of her father Chris Martin, with some branding him a hypocrite
In a more strongly-worded post, one blasted the Coldplay singer, writing: ‘I used to like Chris Martin, he looked like he didn’t take himself too seriously (cameos in Extras and Modern family)
‘But he does seem to have disappeared up his own a*** recently. Sporting a bit of a messiah complex too.’
And another criticised Chris, writing: ‘Chris Martin is a hypocrite IMO. He used to moan about being famous/celebrity but only seems to date v high profile women with a high level of celebrity. There are plenty of actors/singers etc who don’t live a high profile, celebrity fuelled life. He’s chosen to.
‘I agree this whole debutante thing it doesn’t fit with his “I’m just a hippy doing muzak for fun” narrative.
‘It’s uncomfortable for me on so many levels and not least seeing Apple practically pushing another young woman out of the way to get another photo op! She seems very entitled which is very different from empowered!’