London - Prince Charles was "in a tizzy" over the lack of his favourite mayonnaise during his current visit to the Czech Republic, one of his officials told Wednesday's Daily Express.
A jar of Hellman's mayonnaise was promptly sent out in the diplomatic bag so that Charles could continue to enjoy his egg mayonnaise sandwiches. It was on the royal table by lunchtime on Tuesday.
An official at St James's Palace - Charles' London base - said: "Everyone here was on panic alert. The call came through at 4pm. The Prince was very anxious that a pot of Hellmann's mayonnaise should be flown over immediately.
"The prince is very partial to his egg mayo sandwiches and evidently he either couldn't find any in the Czech Republic or it wasn't up to his required standard. He wanted the mayonnaise specifically for his sandwiches. He was in a bit of a tizzy."
A spokesperson for Charles, who is on a five-day visit to three countries in the region, said the matter was a private one. "Things are constantly going back and forth to the prince when he's on these trips and we regard them as private," the spokesperson said.
Queen Elizabeth's insistence on a state visit to Italy last month that no garlic, messy pasta or digestion-threatening shellfish be served drew indignation over royal eating idiosyncracies from the Italian press.
On his current visit, which began on Monday, Charles has taken between 20 and 30 metal boxes full of his favourite food and drink, computer equipment, clothes, uniforms and watches, according to the Express.
On Wednesday Charles was scheduled to walk through one of the oldest woodlands in Europe, the Badin Primeval Forest in neighbouring Slovakia, which has been preserved and restored since the country gained independence, after flying in from the Czech Republic.
On Tuesday he toured a medieval Czech village - and encountered a "Scot" in a kilt while inspecting an organic farm.
"Do you play the bagpipes as well," Charles asked, but Petr Podradsky acknowledged he did not, explaining he had worn the kilt as a token in honour of the visit. - Sapa-DPA