Prince Charles 'prison' claim denied
Clarence House has denied reports that the Prince of
Wales believes becoming king will be a form of prison.
25 October 2013 / BBC News
A report in Time magazine quoted an unnamed official saying
how Prince Charles is worried he will not achieve ambitions linked to his
interests before "the prison shades" close.
Time spoke to 50 of the prince's friends and associates for
the article.
It is not known whether the widely reported comment was made
by a current or former member of royal staff.
A Clarence House spokesman said: "This is not the
Prince of Wales's view and should not be attributed to him as he did not say
these words.
"The prince has dutifully supported the Queen all his
life and his official duties and charitable work have always run in parallel."
Lack of time'
Catherine Mayer, who wrote the article for Time magazine,
told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that "part of a quote" had been
"taken out of context" by other news organisations.
"The thing that I find funny about that is, of course,
one of the reasons I wanted to profile the prince is that I thought there was
an extraordinary gap between who he was and what he did and how he was
portrayed... in the British press.
"So, to see some of what I hoped was sort of balanced
and carefully calibrated somewhat sexed up doesn't surprise me at all."
She said the term "prison shades" referred to
concern among the prince's household that now the prince was taking on more of
the Queen's duties "there's a big impact on what the Prince of Wales
actually does already, in terms of time, so the reference was to his dwindling
lack of time".
She added: "He is absolutely not saying he doesn't want
to be king and nobody in his household is saying that."
For decades, as heir to the throne, the Prince of Wales has
founded charities and spoken out on many issues.
In the coming years, he will have to do more of his mother's
work as she, now 87, does less. Next month, he will represent the Queen at a
Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Sri Lanka.
The public image of him as a man who has sat there sort of
cantankerously waiting for his mother to pop off so he can become king is about
as far from the truth as it's possible to imagine”
Catherine Mayer
Journalist
The Time profile said the prince took on extra royal duties
"joylessly" and, far from "itching to assume the crown", he
was already feeling its weight and worrying about its impact on his current
role.
Prince Charles, who does not comment on his accession, was
quoted as saying he had always had this "extraordinary feeling" of
"wanting to heal and make things better".
Ms Mayer told Today that "the public image of him as a
man who has sat there sort of cantankerously waiting for his mother to pop off
so he can become king is about as far from the truth as it's possible to
imagine".
In the article, Ms Mayer said the prince sat down with the
magazine "to discuss his hopes - and profound concerns - for the future".
'Activist monarch'
But anti-monarchy campaigners dismissed his comments as
"self-obsessed and self-pitying".
Graham Smith, chief executive of the Republic pressure group
called on the prince to "renounce his claim to the throne", adding:
"If Charles wants to get involved in politics, he should do so on the same
terms as everyone else."
He claimed the prince's contribution to the article was
designed to prepare the British public for a more "activist monarch".
Prince Charles has been criticised for writing to and
meeting government ministers in secret to give his opinion on various policy
matters.
The interview was published as official photographs for the
christening of Prince George were released.
Time magazine lands 'forgotten' Prince Charles exclusive
Posted by
Roy Greenslade
Thursday 24 October 2013 / http://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2013/oct/24/time-magazine-prince-charles
Prince Charles is featured as
the cover story in this week's issue of Time magazine as "The forgotten
prince".
The magazine's editor-at-large, Catherine Mayer, was given
exclusive access to the prince, visiting his homes in England, Scotland and
Wales.
She was also able to interview more than 50 of Charles's
friends and associates.
According to her article, the perception that the Prince of
Wales is an unhappy man champing at the bit to become king does not match the
reality.
Instead, Mayer says he is gloomily aware that as soon as he
does ascend the throne he will have to leave behind many of the charities and
projects he has spent his life creating and nurturing.
Mayer reveals that, with the Queen slowing down, Charles has
had to accept additional royal duties, but has done so "joylessly."
Her piece also contends that the image of an aloof, spoiled
and distant man is wrong. He is a passionate philanthropist, magnetic in his
personal interactions and deeply committed to making the most of the privileges
granted to him due to his inherited position.
Prince Charles is quoted in the article as saying:
"I've had this extraordinary feeling, for years and
years, ever since I can remember really, of wanting to heal and make things
better…
I feel more than anything else it's my duty to worry about everybody
and their lives in this country, to try to find a way of improving things if I
possibly can."
Though the prince's popularity is questionable, Mayer sees
him as "sheltered by his position and exposed by it." She writes that
he "appears a mass of contradictions, engaged yet aloof, indulged and
deprived, a radical at the pinnacle of Britain's sclerotic establishment,
surrounded by people but often profoundly alone."
Even so, he has many friends and people who meet him like
him. For example, Mayer quotes the actress Emma Thompson as saying:
"Dancing with Charles, an old friend, is "better than sex."
Thompson adds: "There's a long history of relationships
between Princes of Wales and actors—not just actresses, not just the rude
relationships as [Charles] would say, though god knows I've tried. He wasn't
having any of it."
There are a couple of other other nuggets, such as Charles
teaching Prince William how to master knighting people without inflicting
injury.
The article also touches on the strategy adopted by the
prince to deal with newspaper gossip and allegations. His advisers
"concluded years ago that there was little point in seeking to correct any
but the most damaging calumnies."
For example, there was no comment on a Daily Mail claim in
2011 that Charles and Camilla, who married in 2005, were living "separate
lives."
Mayer's article appears in both Time's US and international
editions. The cover portrait was shot for Time by the photographer Nadav Kander.
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