solar panels have been installed on the roof of Windsor Castle for the first time as part of an initiative to achieve Net Zero.
Other measures “inspired by His Majesty’s leadership” include repurposing the gas lanterns at Buckingham Palace with specially designed electrical fittings to maintain their historic appearance and glow.
The royals also plan to use more Sustainable Air Fuel (SAF) for travel, with a temporary SAF tank being installed at RAF Odiham, where the King’s helicopters are based.
To expedite the reduction of the monarchy’s carbon footprint, the Palace has hired a new Head of Sustainability.
Introducing the annual Sovereign Grant Report, Sir Michael Stevens, Keeper of the Privy Purse, said of renovation work at the Lord Chamberlain’s Upper Store Roof at Windsor Castle: “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.”
However, an increase in business travel since the change of reign has led to a slight rise in greenhouse gas emissions compared to last year, and travel costs have also increased from £3.9 million to £4.2 million.
The most expensive trip was the King and Queen’s five-day visit to Kenya by charter flight in October, along with a related staff planning visit by scheduled flights, totaling £166,557. A three-day state visit to France, including trips to Paris and Bordeaux, by charter flight in September cost £117,942.
Additionally, two new AgustaWestland AW139 helicopters have been purchased to replace the 15-year-old Sikorskys currently used by members of the royal family for travel to engagements and between residences.
The taxpayer-funded Sovereign Grant, which covers the public activities of the King and his family, is received in exchange for the monarch giving up the revenue generated by the Crown Estate.
Between April 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024, it covered the cost of more than 2,300 official engagements in the UK and overseas, down from 2,700 the previous year due to the King and Princess of Wales’s cancer treatment.
