By Rebecca English

Prince Charles was accused of hypocrisy last night for using a private jet on an ‘environmental’ tour of South America. The prince will travel to the region next month in a visit costing an estimated 300,000 pounds (about 485,000 US$) as part of his crusade against global warming. He will use a luxury airliner to transport himself, the Duchess of Cornwall and a 14-strong entourage to Chile, Brazil and Ecuador on a 16,400-mile round trip.

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Aides insist it is impossible for the prince to complete the ten-day official visit using scheduled flights as he will undertake almost 40 engagements. They also stress that he will offset his carbon emissions. But last night critics seized on his choice of transport. Labour MP Ian Davidson, a member of the Commons Public Accounts Committee, said: ‘It would be hard to make this up’. ‘To hear that the Prince of Wales is flying to South America to save the environment and taking 14 staff on his jet at hideous cost just for this trip is the height of the absurd.

‘At a time when the greed of bankers is causing much adverse comment I would have thought that Prince Charles would have had more sense than to be so financially and ecologically wasteful.’ The prince’s determination to bring environmental issues to the forefront of public policymaking has been regularly praised but has also left him open to accusations of hypocrisy. He was roundly criticised for flying first class to the U.S. with a 20-strong entourage to collect an environmental award in 2007. Read more here.