Prince Charles' Claims About His Famous Car Is Raising Eyebrows

For years, climate change has been a big initiative for Prince Charles — as it has for his sons, Princes William and Harry. In January 2020, the future king of England traveled to Davos for the World Economic Forum where he met with corporate leaders and climate activists like Greta Thunberg on the importance of creating a sustainable environment for the economy, Vanity Fair reported. He then created an initiative called Terra Carta, which aims to "put sustainability at the heart of the private sector," by asking companies to decarbonize their operations while cooperating with the public to make sure goals are met.

Besides urging corporations to drive down emissions for a sustainable future, Prince Charles also practices what he preaches in his own life. The royal has tried to reduce his carbon footprint as much as he can in and around his house and, in a new interview, has made some eyebrow-raising claims about what he uses to power his beloved car.

In an exclusive interview with the BBC, Prince Charles has revealed that his car runs on a "surplus English white wine and whey from the cheese process." While that may seem like his typical dry humor, the prince's statement is legit. In fact, he had his car of over 50 years — an Aston Martin — converted to run on a bioethanol fuel called E85, which, surprisingly enough, can actually be derived from the two sources he mentioned. While most of his cars have been modified to be electric, Charles noted that electric vehicles alone aren't the answer, since further tefhnology would need to be implemented in conjunction with decarbonizing other transportation.

While Prince Charles has made efforts to reduce his own carbon footprint through implementing solar technologies and dietary restrictions, such as limiting his intake of meat, fish, and dairy, he also made it clear that it takes a lot more effort than his alone. "If more people did that it would reduce a lot of the pressure on the environment," he told the BBC, adding, "No one person can solve the problem. It's a pinprick."

With son Prince Harry and daughter-in-law Meghan Markle advocating for similar issues, perhaps Prince Charles can join forces with them in the future when they've mended their relationship.