Earl and Countess of Wessex

Earl and Countess of Wessex

Britain's Earl and Countess of Wessex took a private jet to St Mortiz.

The royal couple - who married in 1999 - and their two children Lady Louise,10, and James, six, flew to Switzerland earlier this week for a family ski trip, but decided against a low budget airline.

The royal family have been urged to use scheduled flights to reduce their carbon footprint and save money, but it is believed Prince Edward, 49, Sophie, 49, and their children were the only passengers on-board the plane, apart from two assistants.

It is not known who paid for the ski trip.

However, in 2002, Queen Elizabeth paid her son Edward and Sophie £250,000 to quit their careers to help her and her husband Prince Philip with their royal duties by attending more charity events.

Meanwhile, Prince William and his wife Duchess Catherine - who have eight-month-old son Prince George - took an EasyJet flight to the French Alps during their week-long ski trip in 2012.

The royal couple - who got married in 2011 - were then escorted off the plane, before driving back to their cottage in Wales in a swanky Range Rover.