Prince Charles took three private jet flights in 11 days then met Greta Thunberg

Prince Charles is being lambasted for taking three private jet flights in 11 days as he lectured world leaders on climate change issues.

The royal's travel has reportedly racked up a whopping 16,000 air miles in jet journeys and also took a helicopter ride while on official Government business before meeting climate activist Greta Thunberg.

The Prince of Wales then used an electric Jaguar car to travel to the World Economic Forum in Davos where he met the young Swedish activist after he urged leaders to take 'bold and imaginative action' on the environment.

The Mail on Sunday today revealed details of the series of private jet flights, reporting that the prince's jet and helicopter travel amounted to 16,000 miles at a cost to the taxpayer of £280,000.

The Prince is facing backlash over his travel as climate-change campaigning celebrities and high profile leaders who use private jets are increasingly hit with accusations of hypocrisy.

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The air travel is estimated to have caused 162 metric tons in carbon emissions, eighteen times an average Brit's annual carbon footprint total.

The newspaper took into account the five empty leg flights, in which the jets and a helicopter used to ferry the prince flew journeys without him either to collect or him or return to their bases as he continued on to his next appointments.

The flights included an empty flown flown from Vienna to Scotland to collect him, before he was flown to Muscat after the Queen asked him to pay his respects to the new Sultan of Oman.

That jet was then flown back without the prince to its base in Vienna.

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A new plane was then dispatched from Luton Airport in the UK to collect Charles from Muscat so a fresh crew could take him to the Queen's estate in Sandringham for royal crisis talks.

There, he met with the Queen and Princes William and Harry to discuss the bid by his son and Meghan Markle to quit royal life and move to Canada.

The Queen's helicopter was then dispatched from Hampshire to collect him from Sandringham.

The chopper took him back to Scotland, it then carried on back to its base in Hampshire without the Prince.

He then took a 750-mile journey by private jet from Scotland to Davos.

Later that same day he took another flight tallying up a further 1,740 air miles as he headed to Israel, where world leaders are getting set to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau tomorrow.

The future King, who has campaigned for decades on environmental issues, was pictured alongside Greta Thunberg after he gave a speech to the forum in Davos, Switzerland urging environmental action.

A Clarence House spokesman told the Mail on Sunday: "Global travel is an inescapable part of the Prince’s role as a senior member of the Royal Family representing the UK overseas.

When he travels he does so at the request of the British Government. He does not choose the destinations any more than he chooses the means by which the journeys are undertaken.’

Muna Suleiman, of Friends Of The Earth, told the newspaper: "Climate targets can’t be met without cutting pollution from aviation emissions, and private jets are a particularly wasteful way to travel."

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex earlier faced criticism for campaigning on climate change while they used private jet travel to socialise.

Elton John rushed to defend Meghan and Harry after they used his private jet to visit his home in Nice, France. The singer later paid to offset the carbon footprint.

The couple came under fire for flying on private jets four times in just 11 days in late 2019.

Immediately following the controversy, senior royals made a point of travelling on commercial flights.

William and Kate Middleton were seen taking a budget FlyBe flight to Balmoral just days after the Sussexes faced backlash for their lavish travelling.

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