Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
CHARLES ON CHARLES
PRINCE Charles has admitted he will be forced to change his “meddling” ways when he is king.
In a documentary to mark his 70th birthday on Wednesday he has spoken for the first time about what type of king he is likely to be.
Asked about his “meddling” in issues such as climate change and planning, he said: “I always wonder what meddling is.
“I mean I always thought it was motivating. I’ve tried to make sure whatever I’ve done has been non-party political. It is vital to remember there’s only room for one sovereign at a time, not two.
“So you can’t be the same as the sovereign if you’re the Prince of Wales or the heir. The idea I’m going to go on in exactly the same way, if I have to succeed, is complete nonsense.” Until he becomes king, Charles, the longest-serving heir to the throne in British history, will continue to speak his mind.
But he said: “I’m not that stupid. I do realise that it is a separate exercise being sovereign. So of course, you know I understand entirely how that should operate. “I won’t be able to do the same things I’ve done as heir. Of course you operate within the… the constitutional parameters.”
Prince Charles urged his son William to find his own path when he becomes the Prince of Wales.
He said: “Each one of my predecessors had to find out how they would do it – a lot of them dropped dead or were killed before they got very far.”
A BBC crew followed Charles for almost a year for the one-hour documentary by John Bridcut, which to be shown on BBC1 tonight at 9pm.
Mr Bridcut said: “He’s got amazing energy. He has so many balls in the air at any one time, it’s incredible.”