On Friday, the liberal GUARDIAN, which has a republican agenda, ran a long investigation into the free travel enjoyed by Prince and Princess Michael of Kent in recent months. The paper reported that, during the last 15 months, the Prince has taken at least 20 foreign trips as a representative or guest of more than 100 organisations, and rarely did he pay for the travel. Often the Prince is representing one of two business organisations, the British Security Industry Association and the Russo-British Chamber of Commerce. But, according to the GUARDIAN, the Foreign Office and senior Buckingham Palace figures are 'alarmed' that this 'endless globetrotting' may be damaging the reputation of the Royal Family. This year alone, the paper reports, the Prince has travelled to Dubai, India, Australia and the US, and his wife has travelled to Peru and the US. It should be noted that Prince Michael, the second son of the Duke of Kent, receives no money from the Civil List. The story has been taken up by other newspapers, mostly with a critical tone that seeks to portray misuse of royal connections. The SUN, the best-selling daily tabloid [owned by republican Rupert Murdoch], follows up the story this weekend with a front-page headline: 'Kents are kings of the freebies'. The report claims that the 'astonishing' list of free trips enjoyed by Prince and Princess Michael is 'another severe blow to the tainted Monarchy'. In true tabloid style, the paper calls it the 'Rent-a-Kent affair'. Yet the Prince's private secretary, Nicholas Chance, has been defending the trips. 'I know exactly why each of these trips has been undertaken and I'm very proud of the work [Prince Michael] does,' he tells the BBC today. 'Any criticism of it is not merited. They are not junkets. Not one of these trips has been at his instigation.'