Showers: One of Prince Charles's 20 tips for a greener lifestyle
Prince Charles has told British families to take shorter showers to help protect the environment.
The instruction came at the end of a list of 20 lifestyle changes recommended by the Prince of Wales for his new green campaign, Start.
In separate advice endorsed by the Prince, he was more detailed – urging people to give up baths in favour of 'short, refreshing' five minute showers.
His campaign website reads: 'Snub the tub. If everybody in a four-person family replaced one bath a week with a five-minute shower, you could save between £5 and £15 per year off your energy bill.'
However, the 61-year-old Prince might need to tackle his own family's washing habits before telling the rest of the country how to behave. His father the Duke of Edinburgh, 89, takes baths.
He slipped in one in 2005 and badly bruised his left eye after catching it with his thumb.
And Sarah Ferguson, Charles's former sister-in-law and the mother of his nieces, has spoken of taking ice-cold baths on a daily basis to tackle her 'dark' moods.
As for the Prince of Wales himself, Clarence House last night remained tight-lipped on whether he takes short showers.
A spokesman simply said: 'The Prince of Wales does the vast majority of the things on the list.' His other ideas for small steps to save the planet include 'loving your leftovers', holidaying closer to home and reusing 'what can't be recycled, such as paint tins'.
The Prince launched the Start campaign last month, telling the British public that we must all do more.
He said: 'We must all strive, harder than ever before, to convince people that by living sustainably we will improve our quality of life and our health and by valuing nature's resources properly, we will secure all our futures.'
Prince Charles: Says taking showers rather than baths could save £15 per year
On September 8, the Prince will open the gardens of Clarence House, as well as neighbouring Lancaster House and Marlborough House, to the public for the first time as he hosts A Garden Party to Make a Difference.
The 12-day festival will see Harry Potter actress Emma Watson unveil a range of eco-clothing she has designed for Fair Trade fashion company People Tree. 'I think the Prince of Wales's initiative is such a brilliant idea and I'm thrilled,' she said.
However, the 20-year-old will not be attending the event in person as she will be continuing with her university studies in America.
Comedians Ben Elton and Rory Bremner and the actor Brian Blessed will be performing at the garden party.
The festival will include a giant showerhead with words texted by visitors and projected on to the cascade to highlight the need to save water.
A massive green piggy bank and sheep sculptures urging people to insulate their homes will also feature.
Prince Charles has previously spoken of being born into his position as heir to the throne 'for a purpose' – to tackle global warming.
At Clarence House, energy-efficient boilers have been installed and bath water is recycled to water the plants.
The Prince's Jaguar, Audi and Range Rover cars run on biodiesel made from used cooking oil, while his 40- year-old Aston Martin uses bioethanol made entirely from wine.
Last year Charles, cut carbon emissions by 4 per cent at his four households and increased the use of renewable energy to 22 per cent.
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