The news that the Royal Train is heading for that great siding in the sky appears to be at odds with the monarch’s longstanding and keenly felt support for environmental causes. King Charles took up issues of sustainability long before they became fashionable and he even runs one of his Bentleys on biofuel. The timing does seem particularly bad – as this year celebrations are being held to mark the 200th anniversary of the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway.

The train is only used very infrequently, not least because it is so expensive to move out of its shed at Wolverton near Milton Keynes.

Is the King then opening himself up to accusations of hypocrisy, the gravest of all crimes that can be committed by public figures, by ditching his most sustainable form of transport?

Before the Save the Train activists get out their placards, it’s worth assessing the Royal Train’s environmental credentials. The late Alistair Darling, who was Transport Secretary before becoming Chancellor, frequently railed against little used........

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