Time profile says Prince Charles isn’t as eager to be king as portrayed

The popular notion that Prince Charles just can't wait to be king is refuted in a Time magazine profile of the heir to the throne published this week.

"Much of what you think you know about the Prince is wrong," writes Time editor at large Catherine Mayer in an online essay with the piece. She goes on to say that over more than 50 interviews with Charles and those who know him, she discovered that while the 64-year-old prince is often portrayed as eager to ascend the throne, his focus is really fixed on philanthropy.

He supports efforts to combat climate change, an issue he often speaks about publicly, and he has founded the Prince's Trust and the Prince of Wales's Charitable Foundation, which contribute to a wide range of causes including youth employment and responsible business.

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"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 wrote.

That phrasing, with its comparison of becoming king to entering a prison, created a scramble on Friday after British news interpreted the comment as anxiety from the prince.

"Prince Charles fears becoming king will condemn him to 'imprisonment,' the Daily Mail wrote.

Mayer told Agence France-Presse that interpretation was completely incorrect, saying that Charles would not suggest the throne was a prison, and it wasn't him who said that comment. The royal family hurried to quell the rumour in statements to the media, according to AFP.

The Time profile of Prince Charles touches on his reputation, his views about the environment, and the elements of his daily life.