King Charles has given royal fans a rare look inside the private aircraft carrying him on his Caribbean tour, revealing plush seating, privacy curtains and tartan cushions.
The 77-year-old monarch arrived in Nassau, the Bahamas, on October 27 to begin a nine-day tour of the region. His itinerary includes visits to the Bahamas, Guyana, Antigua and Barbuda, as well as the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting.
The Royal Family shared a glimpse of Charles’s luxurious travel arrangements on Instagram, showing him reading briefing papers aboard the aircraft.
Dressed smartly in a pink shirt and tie, the King sat in a dark grey seat as he worked through a folder of documents. The image, posted on the Royal Family’s Instagram account, was captioned: ‘Looking forward to joining the people of the Bahamas…’
‘When travelling, The King likes to spend time reading briefing papers, continuing with his Government red box duties, reading and writing correspondence, and discussing projects with his support team.’
A second photograph showed the aircraft’s pilots alongside Geoffrey the Giraffe, whose journeys have helped raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital.
The photographs provide an unusually detailed insight into life aboard the Royal Air Force VIP Voyager, known as Vespina. Since 2016, the aircraft has served as the main official transport for the Royal Family, the Prime Minister and UK Government ministers.
The aircraft’s interior is notably refined, featuring grey and cream seats, privacy curtains and a tartan cushion—possibly a subtle reference to the monarch’s well-known affection for Scotland.
King Charles has shared a rare glimpse inside the private aircraft being used for his Caribbean tour, complete with tartan cushions and plush seating.
The images offer a rare look inside the Royal Air Force VIP Voyager, known as Vespina, which has been the main official aircraft for the Royal Family, the Prime Minister and UK Government ministers since 2016.
Another image showed the pilots with Geoffrey the Giraffe, whose travels have helped raise funds for Great Ormond Street. Source: Instagram / The Royal Family.
Inside King Charles’ luxurious £18,000 royal flight
Previous reports have stated that the aircraft costs as much as £2,000 an hour to operate. That would put the cost of Charles’s nine-hour flight on Tuesday at approximately £18,000. The plane is fitted with 58 business-class seats and 100 standard premium-economy seats for royal staff.
The spacious converted RAF Voyager, affectionately nicknamed ‘Cam Force One’, entered service in 2016 and is operated by the Royal Air Force. It is also used for long-haul journeys by senior government officials.
This is not the first time royal followers have been offered a glimpse of the King and Queen’s more luxurious travel arrangements.
In April, the Royal Family released heartwarming footage of Queen Camilla aboard Their Majesties’ aircraft as they travelled from Buckingham Palace to New York City.
The footage showed Camilla carrying Roo, a replica of a missing toy once owned by Christopher Robin Milne, the son of Winnie-the-Pooh author AA Milne. She took the replica to the United States during her state visit with King Charles.
The original toy disappeared from an English orchard in the 1930s. The Queen, 79, has now returned Roo to its rightful owners ahead of the centenary of Winnie-the-Pooh.
Welcomed at the royal residence with a red carpet, Roo was carried up the aircraft stairs and even enjoyed a privileged view from the shoulder of the royal pilot.
Camilla appeared to make sure the replica was well cared for, playfully reading it a book before placing Roo inside her black Lady Dior handbag.
Since arriving in the Caribbean on Tuesday, the King has embraced the region’s festive atmosphere.
The aircraft has a stylish interior with grey and cream seats, privacy curtains and a tartan cushion that may reflect the monarch’s fondness for Scotland.
The 77-year-old monarch arrived in Nassau, the Bahamas, on October 27 to begin a nine-day tour taking in the Bahamas, Guyana, Antigua and Barbuda and the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting.
This is not the first glimpse royal fans have had of the couple’s luxurious travel arrangements. In April, the Royal Family shared footage of Queen Camilla aboard the aircraft during a journey from Buckingham Palace to New York.
King Charles joins colorful Caribbean street celebrations
On Wednesday, his first full day of engagements, Charles watched a vibrant ‘Junkanoo’ parade in Nassau. The energetic procession featured dancers in lavish, brightly colored costumes who filled the city’s main thoroughfare.
The King had been expected to observe the spectacle as guest of honour alongside Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Davis. However, the enthusiasm of the performers proved infectious, and Charles soon joined in.
He began by tapping his feet before taking hold of musical instruments and moving to the rhythm. He then appeared to give a playful glance towards his police protection officers before laughing and heading into the crowd.
The King’s obvious enjoyment came despite his demanding schedule at the age of 77 and his ongoing cancer treatment.
Earlier, Charles had been welcomed by the Prime Minister at the House of Assembly on Parliament Square. During his second major meet-and-greet of the tour, he also spoke with Bahamian students involved in building programmes run by his King’s Foundation before watching the street celebrations.
David Brown of Brown’s Restaurant served the King the local speciality crab and rice. He said: ‘He said he hoped I had enough to go around.’
Charles later took part in an impromptu walkabout, shaking hands with people who had gathered in Parliament Square to welcome him.
Only four reparations protesters were present along the parade route, although local police later asked them to leave.
The King’s nine-day Caribbean visit, requested by the British government, includes the Bahamas, Guyana and Antigua and Barbuda. He will be joined by Prime Minister Andy Burnham for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, known as CHOGM.
Heartwarming footage shared by the Royal Family showed baby Roo receiving VIP treatment aboard Their Majesties’ aircraft, offering a glimpse of the jet’s spacious interior.
King Charles arrives at Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau, the Bahamas, on Tuesday during his autumn tour of Caribbean nations.
On Wednesday, Charles’s first full day of engagements, the monarch watched a lively ‘Junkanoo’ parade while the issue of slavery and reparations continued to loom over the visit.
King Charles faces growing demands for slavery reparations
The tour has been accompanied by calls from local campaigners for the British government to apologise formally for its role in the historic transatlantic slave trade and provide reparations.
Charles, who acts on the advice of his ministers, addressed the sensitive subject within hours of arriving on Tuesday night. He said: ‘It is only right that we should acknowledge the great suffering of the past, in these islands and beyond.’
Although the King did not offer an apology or financial compensation, in line with government policy, aides say he will ‘not shy away’ from the growing calls that threaten to overshadow his visits to the Bahamas, Guyana and Antigua and Barbuda.
A spokesman for the King said he would confront ‘the most shameful aspects of our past’.
Whether that will satisfy campaigners remains uncertain. The Bahamas National Reparations Committee has already warned him: ‘Don’t come empty-handed.’
Buckingham Palace says the King is ‘alive’ to the strength of feeling in the region, particularly because he is both Head of the Commonwealth and monarch of two countries on his itinerary—the Bahamas and Antigua and Barbuda—where demands for action from the UK have intensified.
‘His Majesty will as usual not seek to ignore the past,’ an aide said.
As part of the visit, Charles is expected to address the ‘backdrop of wider discussions on colonial legacy’ in several speeches and visit locations connected to the history of slavery.
