King Charles and royals spent £2million on private jets and helicopters

10 December 2023 , 09:28

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King Charles at COP28 (Image: AP)

Royals spent at least £2million of public cash on private jet and helicopter trips in a year – before King Charles gave his climate lecture at Cop28.

Speaking at the environmental summit in Dubai this month, the monarch warned the world remains “dreadfully far off track” in its key climate targets. But his family has been slammed by a climate charity for using “incredibly wasteful” private jets. The royal jaunts included a flight to watch rugby which could have been made by train. And the tonness of CO2 equivalent pumped out could have provided enough electricity for 300 homes for a year.

King and Queen took £146k charter flights to visit Germany (Getty Images)

Sovereign Grant Fund accounts show a total of £3.9m was spent on travel in the year to the end of March, 2023. Our analysis shows the Royals splashed at least £1,045,336 on charter flights.

Some trips involved the King and Queen flying between their UK homes, costing tens of thousands each time. And in March they took a chartered flight to Germany for the princely sum of £146,219. Princess Anne’s flights from Brize Norton to Edinburgh and back, for the Scotland v Wales Six Nations rugby match, cost £19,815. And £51,108 went on private jets for her Platinum Jubilee trips from Sydney to Papa New Guinea and back.

Princess Royal used a £19k charter flight to watch rugby in Edinburgh (AFP via Getty Images)

By contrast, the Prince and Princess of Wales caught scheduled flights to Boston for last year’s Earthshot Prize. The trips, which included earlier staff planning visits, came to a total of £48,034. And in the same year Royals spent £1,020,297 on 179 helicopter journeys. It means more than £2m was spent on private jet and chopper flights. But that figure is likely to be even higher as it does not include journeys where there is no breakdown of trip costs.

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Figures also show the Royal Family’s business travel used 1,615 tonness of CO2 equivalent in the same year. That equates to the emissions from the annual electricity use of 314 homes or more than four million miles clocked up in an average petrol car.

Alethea Warrington, of climate charity Possible, said: “Private jets are incredibly wasteful, cause gigantic emissions – and should be banned. It is not acceptable for the Royals, who should set a good example, to fly around on them, particularly using public money.”

But William and Kate took scheduled flights to Boston (Daily Mirror/Ian Vogler)

Buckingham Palace said: “Royal Travel seeks to find the best balance of safety, security, efficiency, and the need to minimise disruption for others when planning transport for members of the Royal Family. Sustainable aviation fuel is used whenever it is available.”

Simon Murphy