Prince of Wales borrows nearly £3,000 from protection officer. The Prince of Wales, like his mother, is not known for carrying cash. Published: 2:53PM GMT 09 Dec 2009. It was repaid by Clarence House in December 2007, a few weeks after the Prince and the Duchess of Cornwall visited Turkey and Uganda. Jenny Jones, a member of the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA), said she was "surprised" by the practice. However a spokesman for the Met said it was not unusual for money to be leant to VIPs when the need arose and for that money to be reimbursed later. Although there was no suggestion of wrong-doing by the Prince, the incident highlights the use of police credit cards, which has been criticised in the past. Widespread abuse of the American Express system led the Metropolitan Police to change to a different type of credit card. Several officers have been convicted of misconduct after spending money on holidays, luxury meals and even sex toys and plastic surgery. A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "On occasion, and if the need arises, protection officers will incur expenditure on behalf of principals, which are then repaid." A spokesman for Clarence House declined to comment. The cost of guarding the Queen and the Royal Family is estimated at £50 million a year.
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