Prince Andrew taking 'taxpayer-funded' private jet tour of Far East

PA

Prince Andrew is taking a private jet on a two-week tour of the Far East.

Exact details of the 15,000 mile trip will not be published by Buckingham Palace until next year, but similar tours have cost over £250,000 for the flights alone.

But, this time, Andrew 'hired' the 16-seat charter plane himself, and will only be charging back the cost of a business class flight to the Government, thought to be around £7,000.

According to the report in the Daily Mail, Andrew's private secretary and equerry will travel separately on commercial flights to China, at taxpayers' expense, before joining him on his private jet for the rest of the trip.

A Palace spokesman told the Mail: 'There is no issue whatsoever of wasting taxpayers' money. As regards his travel arrangements, the Duke of York has made his own arrangements to get there but the cost to the taxpayer is equivalent to a commercial fare.'

The prince flew to Shanghai on Saturday night, and it is thought he will visit the Chinese boom towns of Guangzhou and Shenzhen, as well as Malaysia and Bangkok.

Prince Andrew recently announced he was stepping down from his role as the UK's Special Representative for International Trade and Investment, during which time he was accused of 'wasting taxpayers' money on chartering private jets and other luxury travel trappings', according to the paper.