Gather round, there's royal helicopter drama to go over.The Telegraphreports that the royals have been racking up shocking numbers of hours on private flights, and the specifics are pretty brow-raising considering Prince William's focus on the environment. Ahem:
Two brand new helicopters have already flown the equivalent of twice around the world.
A helicopter used by senior royals totaled 420 hours of flying time between February and November.
Princess Anne uses helicopters the most (it's stopped at her house 68 times).
Prince William has taken a helicopter 47 times to Windsor and 5 (so far) to his new home, Forest Lodge—flying to multiple jobs every single month.
Flights can cost £17,000.
So, what does Buckingham Palace have to say for themselves? Per a royal spokesperson, "Helicopters are a key component of the royal travel plan due to their unique capability to access remote regions of the UK which are not otherwise readily served by other modes of transport. They also allow members of the Royal family to undertake multiple engagements in a given day."
Meanwhile, last year an aide toldThe Telegraphthat helicopters (which are paid for by the Sovereign Grant) are a "very important tool" for allowing the royals to be "seen throughout the length and breadth of the UK."
FYI, the royals aren't supposed to travel in helicopters together to protect the line of succession, but Prince William has been known to break these rules and travel with his kids—which King Charles isnot here for.
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