Prince Charles' £220,000 tour

05-06-2008 14:00

Britain's Prince Charles has spent £220,000 on his 'environmentally friendly' tour of the Caribbean.

The future king and his wife, Camilla the Duchess of Cornwall, decided to reduce their carbon footprint and save money on by hiring a yacht for £210,000 to visit the islands.

Clarence House, the prince's London home, said by choosing the yacht, the Charles reduced the carbon footprint of the 12-day official visit by 40 per cent and saved money on accommodation costs.

The £50 million yacht, Leander, comes equipped with a 24-strong crew, Jacuzzi deck, bar, gym and sauna and was the cheapest and most environmentally friendly method of travel.

reinforce Britain's ties with the important Commonwealth countries.

The cost of its hire came to £210,000. A further £10,176 was spent on food, drink and supplies for the royals and their entourage, bringing the total bill for the visit to over £220,000.

A spokesperson for the royal household said the combination of scheduled flights to and from the Caribbean, combined with the boat hire for the royal couple, represented the "best value for money" for the trip, which also included a royal staff of 14.

He added: "Every travel option was examined and it was felt that the boat was the most cost effective and environmentally friendly mode of travel. If we had chartered a plane, we would have had to take more than one because of the size of the landing strips, which just wasn't on."