Will he EVER learn? Airmiles Andy racks up new £100,000 private jet bill for taxpayers.. and sells his house for £15 million

The Prince - known as Airmiles Andy because of his penchant for junkets - wants the 12-seater plane for his 11-day business trip as the UK's special representative for trade and industry.

The news comes after he recently amassed a personal fortune from the sale of Sunninghill Park – a wedding gift from the Queen.

He will be accompanied by Trade and Investment Minister Lord Jones of Birmingham and the pair will fly by a scheduled airline to Miami to start the trip, then split up.

But while Lord Jones - the former Confederation of British Industry director general Sir Digby Jones - will continue to various cities by regular internal flights, the Duke of York has insisted that his leg of the trade mission must be made by private jet.

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The aircraft will not even be full, as the 47-year-old Prince is taking an entourage of only five people, including bodyguards, his head of Press and government officials from the Foreign Office.

Andrew will attend 60 engagements as he visits Miami, New Orleans, Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, Atlanta and New York starting next Sunday.

He will travel 6,000 miles within the US and create a substantial carbon footprint.

However, if he and his party had opted for economy-class seats on regular flights between the cities the total cost would be £3,000.

"The Duke and Lord Jones will both fly from London to Miami on scheduled flights. Then they will split up," a source told The Mail on Sunday.

"Lord Jones will be travelling on domestic flights while the Prince will be travelling on a private jet at a cost of close to £100,000.

"They are visiting American businesses with British interests and will split up, with Lord Jones covering the northern cities and Prince Andrew the ones in the south."

A spokesman for the former CBI boss, a special adviser to the Prince, said: "Lord Jones is categorically not taking a private jet. He will be taking commercial flights."

Andrew has come under repeated fire for clocking up unnecessary flights at the taxpayers' expense - and using his role as a trade ambassador to hit the ski slopes and golf courses.

These trips include taking a private Citation II jet for a golfing break in Scotland in 2006.

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Last night he was attacked for his latest extravagance by Lib Dem Transport spokesman Norman Baker who said: "There is no justification for hiring this private jet.

"Lord Jones shows it's absolutely possible to carry out official engagements using scheduled flights.

"It's just another example of the Duke of York spending taxpayer's money as if there were no tomorrow.

"It should be a matter for the Government to decide how Prince Andrew gets around, not for Andrew to write his own cheques."

A spokesman for the Duke said: "We are chartering a small aircraft to get between venues. Given the number of engagements this is the only way of doing it. There is a queue of chief executives asking for the Duke's help."