Prince Charles in his Aston Martin (in 2010)
Photo: Chris Jackson / Getty Images
It is an idyllic setting in which the British heir to the throne invited the BBC's camera crew.
Prince Charles strides through the lush green gardens of the Balmoral Estate in Aberdeen.
He hated the nursery for his grandson, Prince George, when he was born.
In an interview with the British broadcaster, Charles quickly addressed questions of environmental protection.
And mentions that his Aston Martin can be filled with a rather unusual fuel.
The vehicle should have been known to a wider public at least since the wedding of Charles' son William and Kate.
The couple drove around in front of the cameras in the Aston Martin as part of the major royal event.
After a conversion with the so-called E85, the oldtimer runs from 85 percent bioethanol and 15 percent unleaded petrol.
In the Royal's words, the car drives with "excess English white wine and whey from cheese production."
Biofuel is highly controversial
As amusing as the thought of an aging prince fueling his noble vintage car with wine and cheese - critics find the whole thing only moderately funny. The British Guardian, for example, lets Greg Archer, Great Britain boss at T&E, a European activist group for clean transport concepts, have his say. He says: "Prince Charles' neat solution (...) should not be misunderstood as a serious solution for low-emission vehicles." Used on a large scale, this form of biofuel is more harmful than it seriously helps environmental protection.
In general, the use of ethanol as a fuel is highly controversial.
Archer points this out as well.
It is made from plants like sugar beet or corn.
Large areas are required for their cultivation, which are therefore not available for food production and which worsen the climate balance.
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