Prince Andrew says he's "cheap at the price"

LONDON (Reuters) - Prince Andrew, mocked by tabloids for his jet-setting lifestyle, says he is "cheap at the price" as a roving ambassador for British business whose trade missions cost 500,000 pounds a year.

"There's no substitute for getting to know these people face to face," the Queen's second son told The Independent on Sunday.

Andrew, an ardent golf fan who has been dubbed "Air Miles Andy" and "The Prince of Freebies" by tabloids, said of the criticism: "You have to have a skin which the water drips off."

Travelling around the world from Brazil and China to Russia, Andrew is a special representative for UK Trade and Investment, a government body promoting British business abroad and seeking to attract foreign investment.

Asked if he was worth the 500,000 pound bill footed by taxpayers, Andrew said: "In terms of the return on investment to the UK, bearing in mind I am part of a number of people, I would suggest that 500,000 pounds is cheap at the price."