Prince Charles Myths Denied By Clarence House

Claims Prince Charles has seven boiled eggs cooked for his breakfast but only eats one have been dismissed by Clarence House as part of a new royal myth-busting mission.

The anecdote was first written about by Jeremy Paxman, the Newsnight presenter, in his book On Royalty in 2006 - apparently the Prince is so fussy about how he likes his eggs that he requires a selection to take his pick from.

But now, on a new website dedicated to the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, the tale has been refuted.

In the FAQs section , 26 questions are answered about the royal couple, ranging from how many staff they have, to whether Camilla still smokes - apparently she gave up "many years ago".

The site says Prince Charles pays 50% tax on his earnings from the Duchy of Cornwall but he does not pay corporation tax because the Duchy is a trust not a company.

In response to a question about whether he has made plans for his coronation, Clarence House said he has not been involved in any discussions and does not plan on giving it any consideration during his mother's reign.

It also confirms that the Duchess of Cornwall will not become Queen when her husband accedes to the throne.

Queries about the Prince's environmental credentials and his choice of cars are also addressed.

"The Prince does not own or choose to drive around in a Bentley. The car is required for some engagements for security reasons and is owned by the Metropolitan Police.

"Normally, the Prince and the Duchess are driven around in a Jaguar XJ diesel, his main official car.

"In order to reduce net emissions from car travel, the Prince's Jaguars, Audi and Range Rover have been converted to run on 100% biodiesel made from used cooking oil, and his 40-year-old Aston Martin to run on 100% bioethanol made from waste wine."

Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall are on a royal tour of Australia and New Zealand to mark the Queen's diamond jubilee.