The life of a monarch-to-be: Seeds for breakfasts, driving back to Balmoral because he left the lights on and telling Camilla not to heat her swimming pool in the winter
- Charles once advised Camilla to stop heating her swimming pool in Wiltshire
- But the pipes ended up freezing and bursting which cost thousands to repair
- The Prince will be oldest person ever to become monarch when he ascends
- For breakfast he always has bowl of seed mixed in with a tiny amount of yoghurt
Prince Charles and Camilla at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, after a ceremony to bless their wedding
Doing their bit to combat global warming, many people take care not to leave lights burning unnecessarily — but Prince Charles has been known to take this to extremes.
On one occasion, he drove out from Balmoral Castle with his usual entourage of policemen and ghillies, for a day in the Highlands.
Once they’d reached their destination, however, Charles insisted on turning back.
Why? Because he’d just remembered that he’d left his bathroom light on in the castle.
It was a long drive back — so his police protection officers sensibly suggested that they radio back to Balmoral instead and ask a housemaid to turn off the light.
‘No, no, I can’t do that,’ Charles insisted. ‘I have a personal responsibility.’
The entire party turned their Range Rovers around and drove back — just so the Prince could personally turn his bathroom light off.
-
Desperate Prince Charles wanted to pull out of his wedding…
Ocean views, a palatial balcony and, of course, a royal…
Share this article
On another occasion, Charles advised Camilla to stop wasting energy during the winter by heating her swimming pool at Ray Mill, her house near the picturesque Wiltshire village of Lacock.
She did as he suggested — even though she’d been advised by professionals to keep the heating on in order to avoid the pipes freezing and bursting and causing damage to the pump.
And as they’d predicted, that’s precisely what happened — resulting in a repair bill for thousands of pounds.
When he eventually ascends the throne, Charles will be the oldest person ever to become monarch
When he eventually ascends the throne, Charles will be the oldest person ever to become monarch.
Those close to him say that time is already catching up with him.
He sometimes finds himself exhausted by the early evening — possibly, say aides, because he eats very little during the day.
Like his mother, he is up early, usually before 7am.
To keep his back mobile, he begins each day by doing a series of exercises originally designed for Royal Canadian Air Force pilots.
Then it’s on to breakfast, which always consists of a bowl of seed mixed in with a tiny amount of yoghurt.
With Radio 4’s Today programme on in the background, he starts reading the newspapers.
From 8am, if he doesn’t have any early engagements, he spends two hours poring over paperwork and making handwritten notes in black ink.
Over the phone, he also chases up projects on anything from organic farming and architecture to the environment and interfaith relations.
After that, he plunges into his royal engagements, of which there are about 25 a week. He never eats lunch while doing these, partly so he can pack as much into the day as possible.
Years of experience have also taught him just how much water he needs to drink to keep himself hydrated, but not so much that he will need frequent loo stops.
At teatime, he may occasionally have a slice of fruit cake or a crumpet — but just the one. And he never misses having a good dinner, often preceded by a strong mixed martini or two.
Despite this almost military regime, says a source close to the Prince, ‘his workload sometimes does take its toll on him.
He admits it himself, but he is a driven man and wants to do as much as he can with the time he is allotted to make a real difference.
‘Sometimes he is so tired he almost falls asleep over his papers. But nobody can tell him to slow down — not even the Duchess, who leaves him to do his thing.’
No one understands better than Charles that, when the time comes, his reign will probably be short.
In the meantime, he intends to keep in the best possible shape, pack in as much work as he can and at least leave a lasting legacy as the Prince of Wales.
Source: Read Full Article