'Green' Charles cancels ski trip

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The Prince of Wales has cancelled a skiing trip to Switzerland in an effort to reduce his "carbon footprint".

The Daily Telegraph reported the break to Klosters was cancelled before he was criticised last week over plans to fly to the US for an environmental award.

The Prince has described climate change as the "biggest threat to mankind" and pledged to fight pollution.

Clarence House said it would not comment about holidays - it is thought the trip will not be rescheduled.

'Heavy award?'

The Prince is due to fly to New York later this month to pick up the Global Environmental Citizen Prize.

The taxpayer-funded £116,000 trip, for a 20-strong entourage, was criticised by Environment Secretary David Miliband, who called for the award to be accepted via video link.

He added: "Was it a particularly heavy award?"

One member of the Commons public accounts committee called for an investigation into the cost of the trip by the National Audit Office.

Labour MP Ian Davidson said: "[Prince Charles] seems to be travelling yet again on an international flight to collect a green award and padding out his programme with other events to justify the expense and extravagance of another foreign journey.

"This does not sit well with the green image that the prince is trying to project."

Last year, the Prince urged UK industry to reduce carbon emissions, calling climate change "the number one risk in the world, ahead of terrorism and demographic change".