Just days after the Queen’s Speech, and with her Jubilee celebrations fast approaching, was this how our future King wished to present himself to the world: like an extra from the Goon Show? I can’t be alone in thinking it was all a little demeaning.
Earlier this year, Charles declined to take part in Andrew Marr’s BBC documentary The Diamond Queen, celebrating his mother’s Jubilee year. Princess Anne, Princes William, Harry, Andrew and Edward were among the contributors. But Charles said he wanted to ‘keep his powder dry’ for the Jubilee — to mark the occasion in his own way.
The result? Instead of taking to the airwaves to praise his mother’s 60 years of selfless service, we had this comedy weather routine instead.
It was uncomfortably reminiscent of the ill-fated It’s A Knockout programme that made an unintentional laughing stock of the monarchy. Charles should have known better.
When we see an 86-year-old Queen Elizabeth performing her duties and are forced to contemplate life without her on the throne, this is a time for Charles to show he’s got what it takes to be a monarch the nation can respect and be proud of.
His recent silly interventions — encouraging the country to make do and mend by turning their curtains into cushions — hardly inspire confidence that he understands how to connect with the public.