London:
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II may be known for her diplomacy of silence but her son and heir to the throne Prince Charles is unlikely to carry forward that tradition when he becomes king, a media report today said.
According to his close aides, the Prince of Wales is ready to reshape the British monarch’s role when he comes to the throne to make “heartfelt interventions” in national life.
“He will be true to his beliefs and contributions,” a well-placed source who has known him for many years told the Guardian newspaper.
“Rather than a complete reinvention to become a monarch in the mould of his mother, the strategy will be to try and continue with his heartfelt interventions, albeit checking each for tone and content to ensure it does not damage the monarchy,” the source added.
In the past, Charles has stirred controversy by lobbying politicians over issues such as genetic modification of crops, education and health.
Earlier this year, 66-year-old Charles came under fire after he reportedly compared the actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine to those of Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.
The government has already conceded that if the currently secret “black spider memos” he has written to ministers are ever made public, and readers concluded Prince Charles was disagreeing with government policy, that could “seriously damage” his future role as king.
“The prince understands the need to be careful about how he expresses concerns or asks questions, but I do think he will keep doing exactly that,” said Patrick Holden, an organic farmer, friend of the prince and adviser to him on sustainability.
“He is part of an evolving monarchy that is changing all the time. He feels these issues are too serious to ignore,” he added.
The comments came as part of the Guardian’s wide-ranging investigation into the possible shape of the monarchy under Charles who will be known as King Charles III when he succeeds his long-serving mother.
