On your bike says Charles the 'green'

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Charles out with his two sons in 1990 and the prince with Camilla in his classic Aston Martin.

Prince Charles has told aides to use bicycles as part of an environmentallyfriendly masterplan to make him the country's 'greenest' royal.

He has already ordered two mountain bikes which are to be kept permanently at Clarence House, his central London residence, for staff journeys within the capital, the Mail can reveal.

But he has refused point-blank to reduce his personal car fleet - which includes a Jaguar, Range Rover and an Aston Martin - although courtiers say he is considering converting them into bio-diesel vehicles.

While supporters will commend the prince's efforts to create the Royal Family's first ' carbon neutral' household, critics point out that he is one of the biggest users of gas-guzzling transport, such as the Royal Flight, and last year spent £1.1million on private planes and helicopters.

In March this year, for example, he arrived at the Cheltenham Gold Cup race meeting, just a short drive from his Gloucestershire home, by helicopter.

In the same month, he splashed out £304,000 on a private jet for his official tour of Egypt, Saudi Arabia and India.

Stung by criticism, however, the prince has vowed to shake off his profligate image and privately pledged to stop using royal helicopters and private planes on official engagements wherever possible. He has even offered - much to the amusement of staff - to start commuting to London by train from Kemble in Gloucestershire, the nearest station to Highgrove, his country mansion.

Many of the proposed changes stem from a report the Prince commissioned last year to determine the 'carbon footprint' of his household, which includes his residences in London, Gloucestershire and Scotland.

Officials have since carried out a complete review of all Charles's personal and staff travel as well as their use of electricity, water and paper.

As a result, the prince has installed 'hippos' - water reduction bricks - in all his toilets, a wood-chip heating system at Highgrove and is considering plans to introduce a 'bicycle to work' scheme for his staff.

He has even demanded his chauffeurs leave their cars behind and travel by bike when they check arrangements ahead of his appointments in London.

Some may, however, consider this part of his plan rather ironic in light of the fact that he leases two cars for work, a Jaguar and a Range Rover, and has a classic Aston Martin - given to him by the Queen - in his garage as well as an Audi 'runaround'.

He also has the use of an armourplated Bentley owned by the Metropolitan Police.

Charles is also the biggest user of the Royal Train which, according to official accounts, was used just 14 times last year at an average cost of £22,000. His most expensive trip was a two-day visit to Wales, which racked up a bill for more than £37,000.

The prince's 'green masterplan' is also causing a headache for senior courtiers, who fear that it could prove embarrassing for the Queen and other members of the Royal Family - not least his brother Prince Andrew, dubbed 'Air Miles Andy' for his love of foreign travel, who continue to use helicopters and jets. Other senior

palace staff have warned that, however worthy, it could prove difficult to implement logistically and play havoc with security arrangements.

'He wants to be known as the Green Prince and to leave what he calls a small carbon footprint and there is a lot of support for that,' said one senior figure.

'But there has been quite a bit of hair-pulling over this one. It is all well and good saying we have to go totally green, but there are a lot of difficulties involved in sorting this out and smoothing away the contradictions.

'After all, this is a man who repeatedly warns about global warming yet he owns a classic Aston Martin and flies on private aircraft around the word.'

Friends of the Earth, however, praised the prince for his long-term commitment to highlight the problems of global warming and his personal crusade to convince his future subjects of the benefits of an environmentally-friendly lifestyle. Director Tony Juniper said: 'Prince Charles has regularly championed green issues and we are delighted that he is considering ways of reducing his household's carbon footprint. There are lots of things that everyone can do to save energy and cut pollution.

'Individual action alone is not enough, however. The Government must do much more to make it easier for everyone to go green.'

A Clarence House spokesman last night defended the Prince's green credentials, saying: 'Earlier this year we revealed in our annual review that the prince had commissioned a carbon footprint of his household.

'This included a complete review of all travel arrangements for their royal highnesses and their staff. That review is still ongoing.

'As a result of these steps the household is already carbon neutral, but we are still looking at ways to reduce carbon emissions.

'It is true that the prince has ordered two bicycles for staff to use on business in London, although this is by no means compulsory.

'And although the prince does have a number of vehicles at his disposal, he has asked the lease companies to investigate the possibility of converting them to bio-diesel.'

 

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