Britain's King, Charles III, decided to convert its car fleet to “green“ standards, and to this end he has commissioned all his Bentleys to be made to run on biofuel. In the future, he even plans to convert all the cars of the palace to electricity, writes Hello.
In addition, solar panels were recently installed on the roof of Windsor Castle for the first time. Other measures “inspired by His Majesty” include the repurposing of Buckingham Palace's gas lanterns, using specially designed electrical fittings to preserve their historic look and glow.
The royals also plan to use greener jet fuel for travel: a temporary SAF tank will be installed at RAF Odiham, where the royal helicopters are based. The palace has also hired a new head of sustainability to accelerate the monarchy's carbon reduction.
Delivering the annual Castle Expenditure Report, Sir Michael Stephens, Keeper of the Privy Purse, spoke about the renovation work on the roof at Windsor Castle. “The leaky lead roof disappeared and the first solar panels appeared in the castle – these are just a few environmental initiatives based on the determination to put sustainable development at the heart of our activities and inspired by His Majesty's leadership in this area, he said.
However, an increase in business travel following the board change means greenhouse gas emissions are up slightly on last year, along with travel costs which have risen from £3.9 million to £4.2 million. The most expensive trip was the King and Queen's five-day visit to Kenya on a chartered flight in October, as well as a separate visit by officials on regular flights, for a total of £166,557.
A three-day state visit to France with trips to Paris and Bordeaux on a charter flight in September cost £117,942. Two new AgustaWestland AW139 helicopters were also purchased to replace the existing 15-year-old Sikorsky helicopters currently used by members of the royal family for travel to events and between residences.
The sovereign grant, which is funded by taxpayers, covers the public activities of the king and his family and is received in exchange for the monarch giving up income from the royal estate. Between 1 April 2023 and 31 March this year, it covered the costs of more than 2,300 official events in the UK and abroad, up from 2,700 the previous year.