A “BUTLER” accused Prince William of serving “small potatoes” at an environmental protest outside Kensington Palace today.

In a sure sign that the mood will not pass, the activist in Jeeves-like garb returned the royal’s “cowardly” eco-pledges to sender as part of a rally staged by the Wild Card campaign group and backed by celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. 

Activists said the Duchy of Cornwall’s announcement earlier this month that it would double the size of Wistman’s Wood on Dartmoor by three hectares by 2040 was “underwhelming in the context of the climate and nature crisis.”

They attached a banner to the gates of the palace reading: “0.01%, what about the rest?” after they calculated what proportion of his newly inherited 27,300-acre estate the three additional hectares of woodland would represent.

Wild Card ecologist Emma Smart said: “We’ve taken action today to highlight the disconnection between Prince William’s words and his cowardly actions.

“As the founder of the Earthshot prize, he has shown he understands the urgent need to act on the nature and climate emergencies. 

“Prince William has said that ‘now is the time for each of us to show leadership’ and he was right.

“But addressing just 0.01 per cent of his vast estate on Dartmoor, with a timeline of 2040, is not leadership, it’s just small potatoes.”

Mr Fearnley-Whittingstall, who backs the campaign, said: “In inheriting the Duchy of Cornwall, Prince William has an enormous opportunity to resurrect one of the world’s rarest habitats and to walk the walk on his long-standing environmental advocacy.”

More than 70,000 people backed a petition by the group calling on the prince to “bring back Britain’s rainforests” on his estate.

Kensington Palace has been contacted for comment.