King Charles has given the public an uncommon look inside the private aircraft carrying him on his Caribbean tour, revealing plush seating, privacy curtains and tartan cushions.
The 77-year-old monarch arrived in Nassau, Bahamas, on October 27, marking the start of a nine-day regional visit. His itinerary includes stops in the Bahamas, Guyana, Antigua and Barbuda, as well as attendance at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting.
The Royal Family shared a glimpse of Charles’s travel arrangements on Instagram, showing the King reviewing briefing papers aboard the stylish aircraft.
Dressed smartly in a pink shirt and tie, Charles sat in a dark grey seat as he worked through a thick file of documents. The photograph, posted to the Royal Family’s Instagram account, was accompanied by the message: ‘Looking forward to joining the people of the Bahamas…
‘When travelling, The King likes to spend time reading briefing papers, continuing with his Government red box duties, reading and writing correspondence, and discussing projects with his support team.’
A second image showed the aircraft’s pilots alongside Geoffrey the Giraffe, a travelling mascot whose appearances have helped raise money for Great Ormond Street.
The photographs provide a rare insight into life aboard the Royal Air Force VIP Voyager, nicknamed Vespina. Since 2016, the aircraft has served as the primary official transport for the Royal Family, the Prime Minister and UK government ministers.
Inside, the aircraft features a polished grey-and-cream colour scheme, comfortable seats and privacy curtains. A tartan cushion adds a distinctly Scottish touch, perhaps reflecting the monarch’s long-standing affection for Scotland.
King Charles has offered a rare glimpse into the private plane carrying him on his Caribbean tour, complete with tartan cushions and plush seats
The photographs provide a rare look at life aboard the Royal Air Force VIP Voyager, known as Vespina, which has served as the main official aircraft for the Royal Family, Prime Minister and UK government ministers since 2016
Another photograph posted by the Royal Family showed the pilots alongside Geoffrey the Giraffe, whose travels have helped raise funds for Great Ormond Street. Source: Instagram / The Royal Family
Previous reports have estimated that the aircraft costs as much as £2,000 per hour to operate. That would put the cost of Charles’s nine-hour flight on Tuesday at around £18,000. The plane is configured with 58 business-class seats and 100 standard premium-economy seats for royal staff.
The spacious aircraft, a converted RAF Voyager affectionately known as ‘Cam Force One’, entered service in 2016 and is operated by the Royal Air Force. It is also used for long-haul journeys by senior government officials.
This is not the first time royal followers have been offered an unusual glimpse at the King and Queen’s luxurious travel arrangements.
In April, the Royal Family released heartwarming footage of Queen Camilla aboard the royal aircraft as she and Charles travelled from Buckingham Palace to New York City.
The video showed Camilla taking Roo, a replica of a lost toy once owned by Christopher Robin Milne, son of Winnie-the-Pooh author A.A. Milne, to the United States during the royal state visit.
The original toy disappeared from an English orchard in the 1930s. Queen Camilla, 79, eventually returned Roo to its rightful owners ahead of the 100th anniversary of Winnie-the-Pooh.
After arriving at the royal residence to a red-carpet welcome, Roo was carried up the staircase and even enjoyed a first-class view perched on the shoulder of the royal pilot.
Camilla made sure the replica was well cared for, playfully appearing to read it a book before placing Roo safely inside her black Lady Dior handbag.
Since landing in the Caribbean on Tuesday, the King has embraced the region’s carnival atmosphere.
The aircraft is certainly stylish – with grey and cream seats, privacy curtains and a tartan cushion in what is perhaps a nod to the monarch’s fondness for Scotland
The Monarch, 77, landed in Nassau, the Bahamas, on October 27 to begin his nine-day trip across the region that will see him travel to the Bahamas, Guyana, Antigua and Barbuda for the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting
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This is not the first time royal fans have been given a rare glimpse into the King and Queen’s upmarket modes of travel. In April, the Royal Family shared heartwarming footage of Queen Camilla onboard Their Majesties’ flight as they travelled from Buckingham Palace to New York
On Wednesday, Charles’ first full day of engagements, the monarch put the bubbling issue of slavery and reparations firmly to one side as he watched a ‘Junkanoo’ parade, a boisterous mass of energetic dancers wearing lavish and brightly-coloured costumes who took over Nassau’s main thoroughfare.
While His Majesty had been expected to just view the spectacle as guest of honour alongside the country’s Prime Minister, Philip Davis, such was the infectious nature of the performance that Charles couldn’t resist joining in.
First he started tapping his feet then, handed the musical instruments, began moving to the beat before suddenly – with what looked like a cheeky backwards glance towards his police protection officers – heading off, laughing, into the throng.
His joy was infectious and certainly belied the fact that at 77 years old, the King is still pursuing a punishing work schedule and undergoing continuing cancer treatment.
Charles had earlier been welcomed by the Prime Minister at the House of Assembly on Parliament Square – his second major meet and greet of the tour – and spoke to Bahamian students involved with his King’s Foundation building programmes before enjoying the celebratory street parade.
David Brown of Brown’s Restaurant offered the King local delicacy crab and rice. He said: ‘He said he hoped I had enough to go around.’
The King then enjoyed an impromptu walkabout, shaking hands with locals who came out to greet him in Parliament Square.
Just four reparations protestors had gathered along the parade route, although they were later asked to leave by local police.
King Charles’ nine-day visit to the Caribbean is at the request of the British government taking in the Bahamas, Guyana and finally Antigua and Barbuda, where he will be joined by Prime Minister Andy Burnham for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
In heartwarming video footage shared by the Royal Family on social media, baby Roo was seen experiencing the VIP treatment onboard Their Majesties’ flight – offering an insight into the spacious jet
King Charles arrives at Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau, The Bahamas, on Tuesday as part of an autumn tour of Caribbean nations
On Wednesday, Charles’ first full day of engagements, the monarch put the bubbling issue of slavery and reparations firmly to one side as he watched a ‘Junkanoo’ parade
The trip is, however, being dogged by calls from local campaigners for a formal apology from the British government over the country’s role in the historic transatlantic slave trade and reparations.
The King, who acts on the advice of his ministers, addressed the thorny issue within hours of landing on Tuesday night saying: ‘It is only right that we should acknowledge the great suffering of the past, in these islands and beyond.’
Although he stopped short of offering an apology or financial compensation in line with government policy, aides say His Majesty will ‘not shy away’ from addressing the growing clamour that threatens to overshadow his visit to the Bahamas, Guyana and Antigua and Barbuda this week.
A spokesman for the King made clear he would face ‘the most shameful aspects of our past’.
Whether it will be enough remains to be seen, with the Bahamas National Reparations Committee having already warned him: ‘Don’t come empty-handed.’
Buckingham Palace insists that His Majesty is ‘alive’ to the local strength of feeling, particularly given his role both as Head of the Commonwealth and as monarch in two of the countries he is visiting, the Bahamas and Antigua and Barbuda, where calls for action by the UK have been growing.
‘His Majesty will as usual not seek to ignore the past,’ an aide said.
As a result, he will tackle the ‘backdrop of wider discussions on colonial legacy’ head-on in a number of his speeches, as well as visiting sites with historic links to slavery.