Prince William's £8k helicopter journey – for trip that would have taken 90 minutes by car
PRINCE William traveled 80 miles in a helicopter in a trip that would have only taken him an hour and a half in a car.
The Duke of Cambridge travelled 80 miles in a helicopter
Using the Queen's Flight Sikorsky S76C, William flew from Highgrove to Windsor for 0an event marking the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta.
The chopper later flew the Duke of Cambridge to Prince Charles's Gloucestershire home from Berkshire.
One source said: "It does seem extravagant to use a helicopter when he could have just left half an hour earlier and still got there on time."
William travelled to a ceremony for the anniversary of the Magna Carta
It would cost around £8,000 to charter a similar helicopter for the same round trip.
The TaxPayer's Alliance said: "No area of public spending can be immune from necessary savings, and that includes the Windsors' travel budget."
But a royal source said that although William had travelled "hundreds of miles" in the last week, he had only used the helicopter yesterday and that he is "conscious of travelling in the most inexpensive and efficient way possible".