A PRIVATE jet used by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was just 10ft from a mid-air smash with an illegal drone over Britain.
The NetJets Bombardier was cruising at 200mph and 4,000ft above Luton Airport when the near miss happened.
The Bombardier jet regularly flies the rich and famous around the globe
The drone was flying at four times the allowed height and it is understood to be the joint closest ever miss recorded in UK airspace, the Mirror reports.
The 14-seat 46million Bombardier jet, owned by rental company NetJets, often carries showbiz stars and royalty including the Duke and Duchess of Sussex
It was flying from Nice to Luton just after midday on August 26 and was 14 miles west of the airport when the object nearly collided with it.
No other pilots saw the remote device near the airport. The report did not disclose the identity of any passengers on the jet.
Eco-warrior royals Harry and Meghan left a huge carbon footprint in August when they took a private jet to the South of France two days after their flight to Ibiza.
We told how the The trip to Nice on August 14 created seven times more carbon emissions per person than a commercial flight.
CLOSE TO CATASTROPHE
The couple arrived on the French Riviera on Wednesdayaboard a 12-seater Cessna aircraft that would cost more than 20,000 to hire.
A flying expert said if the device had shattered the cockpit windscreen it could have killed the crew.
Former BA pilot Terry Tozer said: The damage could have been really serious. If a drone hit the windshield it could kill or incapacitate at least one of the flight crew.
It could also be ingested into an engine with a similar outcome to a bird strike. These types of incidents are going to be an increasing problem. Its a real concern for pilots.
Stricter regulations have been brought in but you will always get people who dont care about the rules.
Its very difficult to know how we are going to control drones.
There have been a string of near misses with drones and aircraft since the devices came on the market.
The latest close shave came a year after flights were suspended at Gatwick airport for more than 36 hours because of several drone sightings in the area.
The UK Airprox Board, which investigates near misses, rated the latest incident as the most dangerous at Category A.
DRONE OWNER HUNTED
Its report said: The Board considered the pilots overall account of the incident portrayed a situation where providence had played a major part in the incident and/or a definite risk of collision had existed.
The GL6000S pilot reports he was inbound to Luton when he saw a drone moving west to east at around 4000ft.
The drone appeared to have some sort of light source at the front. The size was difficult to judge but best estimate was 50cm by 50cm. It was estimated to pass within 10ft of the aircraft.
Bedfordshire Police have been contacted for comment but it is understood the owner of the drone has not been traced.
Flying such devices near airports is illegal.
But David Learmount, of Flightglobal online magazine, said police are struggling to identify drone pilots under current laws.
He added: Everyone who owns a drone has to register themselves but bringing people to justice is very difficult if you cant find the drone.
The only solution, which is very expensive, would be to fit ID transponders to every drone.”
The CAA said: It is illegal to fly drones close to airports without permission and anyone flouting the rules can face severe penalties, including jail.
The rules for flying drones are designed to keep all airspace users safe.
This year the European Commission warned about the potential use of drones to carry out terror attacks.
