Charles under fire for private jet on eco tour

Published on Saturday 14 February 2009 18:43

HE IS famously proud of his green credentials, but Prince Charles has been accused of "hideous" hypocrisy after it emerged he will travel by private jet on a tour to campaign against global warming.

The heir to the throne will travel to South America next month to raise awareness about the environment in a visit which will cost an estimated 300,000.

The Prince will use a luxury airliner to transport himself, the Duchess of Rothesay and a 14-strong entourage to Brazil, Chile and Ecuador on a 16,400-mile round trip.

The royal couple will be flying with an exclusive charter company, which cannot be named for security reasons, in an Airbus A319. Critics have criticised the decision as financially and environmentally wasteful.

But aides stress that the Prince will undertake dozens of official engagements, and insist it would be impossible for him to use scheduled flights. They also stress that he will offset his carbon emissions.

Glasgow Labour MP Ian Davidson, a member of the Commons Public Accounts Committee, claimed it sounded like an elaborate joke.

He said: "To hear that the Prince of Wales is flying to South America to save the environment and taking 14 staff on his jet at hideous cost just for this trip is the height of the absurd. It would be hard to make this up.

"At a time when the greed of bankers is causing much adverse comment I would have thought that Prince Charles would have had more sense than to be so financially and ecologically wasteful."

Charles and Camilla will arrive for their spring tour in Chile on March 8 and end their trip with a visit to the Galapagos Islands to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin.

Airbus boasts its private jets have an exclusive 'VIP lounge' at the front of the cabin which can be split into a master suite with its own toilet and shower.

The aircraft is also equipped with a satellite phone, printer, fax and laptop sockets and 'luxury VIP leather seats' with personal DVD players.

Charles intends to use the trip to focus on issues of environmental sustainability and climate change as well as the wider ties between Britain and South America

The cost of the trip will not be revealed until the Prince releases his annual accounts later this year, but it is expected to exceed 300,000.

Clive Alderton, the Prince's deputy private secretary, stressed yesterday that the Prince had undertaken the trip at the specific request of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.