King Charles Reveals Plans for Major New Changes to Royal Travel and Residences
More big changes are in store for the royal family, as Buckingham Palace has revealed additional plans for a more sustainable future across their assets in the wake of an annual report showing an increase in their greenhouse gas emissions.
First up, King Charles will be converting his State Bentleys to run on biofuel, with the intention of eventually updating the entire fleet to be electric, according to a new report from Hello!. The monarch also plans to be more sustainable in his long-distance travels, with a temporary Sustainable Air Fuel tank being installed to fill his helicopters.
In addition to their travel-based changes, the first solar panels ever have officially been installed on the roof of Windsor Castle as part of a drive to eventually reach Net Zero, while gas lanterns at Buckingham Palace have been converted to electric, featuring custom fittings to preserve their historic appearance.
To aid in their goal, the palace has hired a new Head of Sustainability, who will oversee efforts to reduce the monarchy's carbon footprint.
"Out went the leaking lead roof and in came the Castle's first solar panels—just one of a number of environmental initiatives, driven by a determination to place sustainability at the heart of our operations and inspired by His Majesty's leadership in this sphere," Sir Michael Stevens, Keeper of the Privy Purse, explained as he introduced the annual Sovereign Grant Report.
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The report found that greenhouse gas emissions were up slightly from last year for the royals, due to an increase in business travel, along with travel costs (which rose from ￡3.9 million to ￡4.2 million), with the king and queen's five-day visit to Kenya in October, taken by charter flight, reportedly racking up the highest charge of them all at ￡166,557.
These upgrades follow a major change in tradition to the Royal Family Order, with the king, a longtime, vocal proponent of conservationism, changing them from ivory to polymin, a type of plastic used by artists, as well as his plans to install solar panels at the king's Sandringham Estate as part of "the Estate's ongoing commitment to sustainability and promoting environmental practices," two years after a smaller solar array was installed on the roof of Sandringham House.
He's also installing a "glamping" ground on the property and has made countless other major royal changes since becoming the monarch, including his unprecedented decision about Balmoral Castle, the revision of a 50-year-old tradition to his charity, and an update to Windsor Castle that has left his local neighbors upset.
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