The King’s two state Bentleys will be converted to run on biofuel within the next year, as part of a wider sustainability push. Longer term, the plan is to switch to a fleet of official electric cars. Annual accounts for the Royal Household, published on Wednesday, revealed a string of new, more environmentally friendly measures.
Taxpayer funding for the monarchy’s running costs was £86.3m in 2023-24, the same as for the previous year.
This funding, which covers such things as official visits and residences, is known as the “Sovereign Grant”. Charles has been campaigning on climate issues for decades but the latest accounts – for the first full financial year of the King’s reign – indicate he is determined to do things differently.
Windsor Castle will be fitted with solar panels for the first time while the gas lanterns at Buckingham Palace are being repurposed with specially designed electrical fittings to improve their energy efficiency while keeping their historic look and glow.
Sir Michael Stevens, Keeper of the Privy Purse, said the environmental initiatives were “driven by a determination to place sustainability at the heart of our operations and inspired by His Majesty’s leadership in this sphere”.
Charles has previously said that people thought he was “completely dotty” when he started talking about environmental issues in the 1970s. The annual accounts were delayed for a month because of the General Election. They revealed the royal household would take delivery of two new helicopters over the coming year, to replace the existing 15-year-old ones.
The report said the helicopters were “a key component” in enabling the King and the royal family to carry out their engagements, allowing them to access remote regions of the UK. There has also been work to increase the use of sustainable aviation fuel for royal flights where practicable.
Taken as a whole, the report said there had been a decrease of 3% in natural gas and heating emissions across the Royal Estates, although total greenhouse gas emissions did however increase slightly from the previous year.
This was largely due to increased business travel emissions in comparison with 2022-2023, when royal travel was limited by events around the change of reign.
Source: BBC
In other news – Andy Murray to retire after 2024 Paris Olympics
Andy Murray has confirmed he will retire from tennis after the 2024 Paris Olympics. The 37-year-old is planning to play in the singles and doubles at what will be his fifth Games. Arrived in Paris for my last ever tennis tournament,” Murray wrote on X.
“Competing for Team GB has been by far the most memorable weeks of my career and I’m extremely proud to get to do it one final time. Read more
