Ruthless (and VERY effective) regime of His Royal Buffness!
As Prince, 70, sports athletic physique on Barbados beach...
MOST men of his age would cover up, rather than risk displaying the flabbiness of the march of time. And, indeed, as he neared his 70th birthday last year, Prince Charles was characteristically self-deprecating about his physical wellbeing. ‘Bits of me keep falling off at regular intervals,’ he joked.
But, almost six months on from that milestone, it seems the Prince was being less than truthful. For this week, striding through the surf on a Caribbean beach, he boasted the physique of a man at least ten years his junior.
Indeed, it is not an exaggeration to say he cut an impressive figure. It brought back memories of the Prince’s bachelor days when he regularly stripped off for an impromptu swim.
His stomach may not be quite as washboard-flat as it was when he was in his 20s, but the absence of any discernible ‘spare tyre’ around the princely middle is not just testimony to iron discipline, food fads and exercise.
There is another hidden quality that has been every bit as critical: the satisfaction of a happy and settled domestic routine. Approaching his 14th wedding anniversary, the Prince of Wales is today as contented a figure as he has been at any time in his adult life.
Three grandchildren and a fourth on the way have brought him an assured-ness and sense of purpose.
All of this is down to the other equally trim figure alongside him in Barbados — the Duchess of Cornwall. It is due to her influence that he allowed him-self to venture on to a beach teeming with sun-worshippers in the first place.
The old Charles, a mass of insecurities, would have shrunk from such a public excursion. But in Camilla, he has found not just a soulmate, but someone who has made him shrug off such concerns.
That they wandered on to the beach carrying their own towels and kicking off their shoes, just like the other holidaymakers all around them, was a sign of just how relaxed he has become.
The couple were enjoying a brief lull in Barbados before resuming a 12-day tour that will see them become the first members of the Royal Family to visit the Communist island of Cuba.
Despite the jokes that his ‘ budgie- smuggling’ days were behind him, Charles has always been a man who prides himself on his appearance. And his secret appears to be simple — regular exercise, a moderate diet and a good dose of sheer willpower.
He has always looked after himself and taken care of his body. He also enjoys physical activity and remains physically fit. He’s also very careful about what he eats. If he puts on any weight, he will make sure he loses it.
Like his father Prince Philip, Charles is understood to undertake his own health and fitness routine, based on a Royal Canadian Air Force fitness regimen known as the 5BX (Five Basic Exercises).
He is sufficiently motivated by the desire to continue to fit into military uniforms made for him 30 years ago without
He still fits into uniforms made 30 years ago Charles never eats curries ... or chocolate
his tailor having to let them out. And walking, especially in Scotland, has become an essential part of his routine.
‘His weight has remained pretty constant at around 11st 5lb for the past 40 years, though it does go up more often these days than it used to,’ says a friend.
Exercise is only part of the story. Healthy and moderate eating — only two meals a day — is another. Naturally, his diet revolves around organic food and he has regular meat-free days. He also likes to fast from time to time, which helps to moderate his weight.
Breakfast is usually soft-boiled eggs and fruit, and he never eats lunch. Dislikes include overcooked vegetables, coffee, chocolate, nuts, garlic, curry, chillies, raw onions, pork and blue cheese.
Dinner is usually grilled meat or fish with fresh vegetables. Neither Charles nor Camilla has an especially sweet tooth, though the Prince has always been partial to treacle tart.
Alcohol is also taken in moderation. Before dinner, he likes a dry martini mixed to his special recipe — three parts gin to one part vermouth — and he enjoys the occasional Laphroaig malt whisky and water.
Of course, Charles has also enjoyed the good fortune of inheriting the genes of his remarkable father, whose astonishing vitality and good health is such that, earlier this year, he was able to crawl from his overturned car after an accident near Sandringham.
After enjoying his time on the beach, Prince Charles was later more formally attired for a meeting with singer Lionel Richie, newly unveiled as a global ambassador for the international arm of his Prince’s Trust.
Charles and Camilla will carry out some 50 engage-ments across Barbados, St Lucia, St Vincent and The Grenadines, St Kitts and Nevis, Grenada, the Cayman Islands — and, of course, that historic visit to Cuba.