MAIL Online: Queen Sofia of Spain has given the British Royal Family a lesson in cost-cutting - by taking a £13 budget airline flight to London.
The 70-year-old monarch flew with low-cost airline Ryanair from northern Spain to Stansted on Sunday evening to visit her brother, who is recovering from heart surgery in a London hospital.
A source at the Spanish royal palace said it was 'common practice' for members of the House of Bourbon to fly on scheduled flights.
The source added: 'Members of the Royal Family regularly travel on regular scheduled flights both nationally and internationally.
'The King is the only member of the Royal Family who always travels on military flights.
'Whenever possible the royals use Spanish airlines, but in this case Ryanair was the best option for getting from Santander to London.
'It may well be first time the royals have used Ryanair.'
The source could not say whether the queen had had to pay any of the extra charges Ryanair imposes for having bags other than hand luggage, or for checking in at the airport rather than online.
Her bargain bucket air fare comes in stark contrast to the British Royal Family, none of whom - with the exception of one or two of the younger royals - have ever flown on a budget flight. >>> By Tom Worden and Rebecca English | Tuesday, June 02, 2009
