‘Staggering hypocrisy’ of Prince Charles flight
Green anger at 125-mile pick-up
PRINCE Charles has been accused of being full of hot air on climate change – after a plane flew 125 miles to pick him up.
Critics say it undermines Charles’ Cop26 proclamation last month when he told the world: “We have to reduce emissions urgently.
“We have to put ourselves on what might be called a war-like footing. We know what we must do.”
The heir to the throne could have reduced his own impact on the planet by taking his electric vehicle to the Voyager aircraft’s usual home, RAF Brize Norton, in Oxfordshire.
Instead it was flown to RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk, nearer Sandringham, ahead of Charles’ trip for a ceremony removing the Queen as head of state.
It saved him just two hours of driving time. Graham Smith of campaign group
Republic accused Charles of “staggering hypocrisy” and called the flight a waste of taxpayers’ money and RAF resources.
Matt Finch, of Transport & Environment, added: “For long distances we can’t avoid air travel, but for domestic travel, anyone should avoid flying and use other forms of transport.”
Charles, who has previously urged all of his staff to cycle to work, has championed the use of biofuels blended with normal aviation fuel as a transitional step towards creating carbon-free flight.
The voyager, an Airbus A330 also used by senior Government ministers, is the first RAF plane to run on the “sustainable” option, but critics say it is still very harmful to the environment.
Manufacturers claim it can cut a plane’s carbon emissions by up to 80 per cent, over its life cycle. But it is mixed with conventional jet fuel and scientists are unclear on how green it is.
The prince is often driven to royal engagements in an all-electric Jaguar I-Pace SUV.
And he also owns an Aston Martin DB6, which he has said is powered by “surplus English white wine and whey from the cheese process”.
Last month, Charles spoke of his passion for environmental issues during Cop26 in Glasgow and said world leaders need to do more than “just talk”, as he admitted he himself had been doing for the past 40 years.
Yesterday a Clarence House spokesman said: “The prince has campaigned for a shift towards sustainable aviation fuel as air travel is a crucial part of his work.
“As a result, this autumn the RAF introduced for the first time sustainable fuel and deployed it for this trip.”