When it comes to hypocrisy, they don't come much worse than the Windsors. The Queen (who is patron of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) was famously pictured "despatching" a bird that had been injured by her shooting party - by beating it to death with a stick.
Not to be outdone by his mother, Prince Charles has been lecturing the "proles" about global warming. Apparently its a problem and its something we should be doing something about (in case you hadn't heard).
Charles told the BBC:
"We should be treating, I think, the whole issue of climate change and global warming with a far greater degree of priority than I think is happening now"
Most would agree with this sentiment - the impact as well of the causes of global warming are widely known. But whilst many of us choose lower emission cars, public transport and cycling/walking as means of transport, the Windsors have shown a preference for helicopters - which use many times more fuel than a car for the same trip.
In the Times it was recently reported (in coverage of the Royal Budget):
On one occasion, Prince Charles took a chartered helicopter from his home Highgrove in Tetbury to nearby Gloucester and then on to Buckingham Palace for £4,031. His engagements included a Prince’s Trust event and a visit to Smithfield Market. In April last year, the Princess Royal took a chartered helicopter ride from her home Gatcombe Park to Thorncote Green for £4,710 to present rosettes at a pony club.
Once again the Windsor rule is "do as we say, not as we do".
More information:
BBC News - Prince's plea over climate change
The Times - Queen wins rebate as price of party cakes soars
27 October 2005
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