LONDON - Prince Charles’ passion in life is his charitable work and he wants to get as much done as he can before becoming king when, in the words of an aide, “the prison shades” close, according to Catherine Mayer, editor-at-large of the U.S. magazine Time.
After months of research involving rare access to the Prince of Wales, 64, and to several of his residences, as well as interviews with more than 50 aides, friends and critics, Mayer has written a long profile of the heir-to-the-throne in the magazine.
In an accompanying essay giving Mayer’s personal point of view on the prince, available free on the Time website, she seeks to dispel the perception sometimes reflected in media coverage that Charles is impatient to become monarch.
“I found a man not, as caricatured, itching to ascend the throne, but impatient to get as much done as possible before, in the words of one member of his household, ‘the prison shades’ close,” Mayer writes in the online essay.
The aide’s quote was seized on by numerous British newspapers but Mayer told the BBC they had “sexed up” her article and Charles himself had not used the word “prison”.
“Prince Charles’ passion lies with the charitable empire he has built up, and all of his initiatives,” she said.