Prince Philip blasts 'useless' wind farms

Britain's Prince Philip has launched a fierce attack on "absolutely useless" wind farms, in the latest outburst from the famously outspoken consort, a report said on Sunday.

The husband of Queen Elizabeth II said that onshore wind farms would never work and accused their supporters of believing in "fairy tales," a senior executive from a wind farm company told the Sunday Telegraph newspaper.

"He said they were absolutely useless, completely reliant on subsidies and an absolute disgrace," said Esbjorn Wilmar, of Infinergy, which builds and operates turbines. "I was surprised by his very frank views."

Wilmar, who met the prince at a reception in London, said his attempts to argue that onshore wind farms were one of the most cost-effective forms of renewable energy received short shrift from Philip.

"He said, 'You don't believe in fairy tales do you?'" the executive recalled. "He said that they would never work as they need back-up capacity."

Wilmar suggested the prince could put wind farms on his land, but he said that Philip responded: "You stay away from my estate, young man."

The prince's views put him at odds with the government, which plans to build more wind farms.

The Duke of Edinburgh, who turned 90 this year and is Britain's longest-serving consort, has often landed himself in trouble with his forthright remarks.

"You managed not to get eaten, then?" he told a British student who had trekked in Papua New Guinea in 1998.

A spokesman for the prince told the paper that Buckingham Palace would not comment on a private conversation.

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