The National Audit Office has reported that Andrew Windsor, who is third in line to be Britain’s hereditary head of state, spent £2939 of taxpayers’ money flying from London to Oxford for lunch by helicopter instead of taking a train at a cost of under £100. Another time he chose to spend £4645 of other people’s money on a charter flight instead of £254 on a train ticket. Mr. Windsor spent a total of £315,000 on air travel during the 2003 – 2004 financial year, £150,000 of which was within the UK. Much of the travel was to do with a golf club where Mr. Windsor is captain.
Mr. Windsor holds no elected office or public employment. His travel expenses are paid for by the taxpayers simply because he is a close relative of Liz Windsor who is hereditary head of state and head of the Church of England, the state Church. Britain’s unwritten constitution provides no way for the people to prevent him becoming head of state.