Taxpayers fund Prince Andrew's £6,000 helicopter trip - even though he could have got there by chauffeur-driven car for £5,700 less

  • Prince Andrew opted to take a helicopter for day of royal engagements
  • Round-trip to three schools in south-east cost taxpayers at least £6,000
  • He could have done 230-mile round-trip in chauffeur-driven car for £300
  • Duke of York cancelled first stop because of rain and adverse conditions 

Prince Andrew is under fire for flying to a day of official engagements by helicopter when he could have got there by chauffeur-driven car for £5,700 less.

The Duke of York opted to take the Queen's Flight chopper for the 230-mile round-trip to three schools in the south-east followed by Buckingham Palace - setting taxpayers back around £6,000.

But he was forced to abandon his first trip to Sevenoaks School in Kent on Monday because it was raining - leaving thousands of children disappointed.

The sixth-in-line to the throne, who is known as Air Miles Andy, was later able to land at Medway University Technical College in Chatham and City Academy in Brighton.

Prince Andrew is under fire for flying to a day of official engagements by helicopter when he could have got there by chauffeur-driven car for £5,700 less, pictured in 2007

Prince Andrew is under fire for flying to a day of official engagements by helicopter when he could have got there by chauffeur-driven car for £5,700 less, pictured in 2007

He has been slammed by campaign groups who say he should be leading by example and cutting back on his carbon emissions, pictured in 2007

He has been slammed by campaign groups who say he should be leading by example and cutting back on his carbon emissions, pictured in 2007

He has been slammed by campaign groups who say he should be leading by example and cutting back on his carbon emissions. 

The Duke, 56, would have been able hire a chauffeur-driven Mercedes for the day for around £300 and the journey would have taken around five-and-a-half hours.

He had been due to land the helicopter on the school fields at Sevenoaks to attend its annual Science Week, which attracts 9,000 local children.

But heavy rain, strong winds and a 'low cloud base' meant that his chopper couldn't make it to the school.

The royal was able to fly to Medway University Technical College where he performed the official opening ceremony and had a tour of the school.

The Duke, 56, would have been able hire a chauffeur-driven Mercedes for the day for around £300 and the journey would have taken around five-and-a-half hours

The Duke, 56, would have been able hire a chauffeur-driven Mercedes for the day for around £300 and the journey would have taken around five-and-a-half hours

The Duke of York opted to take the Queen's Flight chopper for the 230-mile round-trip to three schools, including City Academy in Brighton (pictured)

The sixth-in-line to the throne, who is known as Air Miles Andy, was pictured arriving at City Academy in Brighton in the rain

The sixth-in-line to the throne, who is known as Air Miles Andy, was pictured arriving at City Academy in Brighton in the rain

He then dropped by City Academy in Brighton and met with pupils and teachers at the primary school which his office has been working alongside for the past two years.

'The reason I'm here is because I'm interested in young people's education and the investment we're making in our schools, because you are the future of this country,' he said, according to The Argus.

'We are going to rely on you to keep this country just as prosperous as it is today.'

The Duke then headed to Buckingham Palace to welcome a Malvern College canoe team. 

A spokesman for environmental group Plane Stupid told MailOnline: 'Online, there will be lots of comments under this story from people refusing to reduce their own carbon emissions unless the royals, celebrities and politicians do so first. 

'It's unfortunate when public figures like Andrew give us all another convenient excuse to keep burning our children's future.' 

He met with pupils and teachers at the primary school Brighton which his office has been working with for the past two years

He met with pupils and teachers at the primary school Brighton which his office has been working with for the past two years

The Duke then headed to Buckingham Palace to welcome a Malvern College canoe team

The Duke then headed to Buckingham Palace to welcome a Malvern College canoe team

He was forced to abandon his first trip to Sevenoaks School in Kent because it was raining - leaving thousands of children disappointed 

He was forced to abandon his first trip to Sevenoaks School in Kent because it was raining - leaving thousands of children disappointed 

The Duke of York's office said that 'careful consideration' is always taken before the use of the helicopter.

A spokesman for Prince Andrew said: 'The Duke of York was disappointed not to be able to attend a planned engagement at Sevenoaks School yesterday due to adverse weather conditions.

'However, His Royal Highness was able to undertake two other engagements, one in Chatham and one in Brighton and The Duke later returned to Buckingham Palace for a third official engagement. All these are listed in the Court Circular.

'Careful consideration is always taken before the use of the helicopter and yesterday, as The Duke of York's official programme took in three distinct regions, Kent, East Sussex and London, it was necessary for it to be used.'

Prince Andrew was criticised for visiting 15 countries in 2014, almost four times as many as the Duke of Cambridge and six more than any other member of the Royal family.

In total, Prince Andrew travelled 66,800 miles by air, the equivalent of circling the globe almost three times.

 

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