Prince Charles saves energy for speech

The Prince of Wales gave a breathtaking performance yesterday when he appeared as a hologram at an environmental conference in Abu Dhabi. Charles chose to deliver his address at yesterday's World Future Energy Summit using 3D technology, in a bid to cut the royal carbon footprint and silence critics who accuse him of double standards. His appearance caused many in the 2,500-strong audience to gasp. Then, six minutes after he appeared, he vanished into thin air.

The Prince, who drew heavy criticism for jetting off to New York with a 20-strong entourage to collect an environmental award from Al Gore last year, filmed his speech on the challenges of climate change at Clarence House. The life-size projection used around the same energy as a lightbulb, in contrast to the 20 tons of carbon waste it would have cost to fly a royal entourage to the United Arab Emirates.

Former US president and environmental campaigner Gore projected himself in hologram form at the beginning of the Live Earth concerts in Tokyo. Charles is the first royal to appear Star Trek-style. As a result of the technology, the Prince could be seen in more than one place yesterday - both in Abu Dhabi and visiting a former colliery in Ayrshire.

One royal, however, did attend the Abu Dhabi event in the flesh. The Duke of York - dubbed "Air Miles Andy" because of his jet-setting lifestyle - attended as a UK representative for trade.