King Charles’ plans to fit electric car points to Windsor Castle may be blocked.
The eco-campaigning monarch, 75, is planning to install the charges to the royal residence as he continues to use electric vehicles to do his royal duties, but experts have warned the scheme could affect archaeological remains.
Planning consultation docs submitted to the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead council, uncovered by The Daily Telegraph, show archaeology officer Edwin Wood has warned: “The application site falls within an area of archaeological significance and archaeological remains may be damaged by ground disturbance for the proposed development.
“The sites lie immediately adjacent to, and within the grounds of, Windsor Castle, a scheduled ancient monument.
“The area around the castle became the focus for settlement following the construction of the castle in the 11th century and the movement of the royal centre from Old Windsor following the Conquest of 1066.
“As such there is the potential for archaeology relating to the early development and construction of the castle and town of Windsor to survive.”
Charles last year bought an £80,000 electric Audi Q8 before being pictured driving it to a Sunday service at Balmoral in the summer, and purchased a £60,000 Jaguar I-Pace in 2018 and borrowed a Tesla for a few months in 2021.
Plans to renovate the 950-year-old Windsor Castle show an application to place four charging points will be placed around the royals’ home area, with another two by the castle.
The Royal household said of the plans: “This application is submitted to support the wider sustainability strategy and decarbonisation of the estate.
“No works are proposed to existing building fabric, all chargers are to be free‐standing and reversible to accommodate future technology developments in the field.”
The local council is yet to decided whether to approve the plans and a decision is expected to be made after archaeological remains are assessed and recorded.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “Work is being undertaken to install electric vehicle charging points at official royal residences, to facilitate the use of electric and electric hybrid vehicles.
“The Royal household is always exploring options to reduce its impact on the environment.”
