Prince's papers describe his job and fiannces

[FetchingHag]

[AbsolutelyWilliam] Prince's papers describe his job and fiannces






The Prince of Wales is to set out for public scrutiny his own definition of his role as part of an offensive by senior royal aides to clarify his position and rebut criticism.

Three brochures, to be issued over the next few months, will attempt to explain how he has created his job as heir to the throne, how he spends his money and how much he has raised for charity.

Officials hope that the documents, aimed at the public, will redress damaging charges that he is an extravagant man with a penchant for interfering in politically sensitive issues.

They also hope that the public will see a more serious side to the 55-year-old Prince, whose work, they say, has been all too often overshadowed by colourful details of his personal life.

"These are just brochures, not heavyweight documents," said one official. "It is by no means a 'mission statement' or a 'Prince's charter'. It is aimed at the public who want to know more about him.

"Because there isn't a job description for the role of heir to the throne, he has created his own. This will explain how he has done that, and that he has interests in some big areas and how he has developed those."

Aides feel that media coverage of his views in areas such as genetically modified crops, organic farming and architecture could skew the public's perception of him.

An annual report will be published on how he spends his income from the Duchy of Cornwall, estimated this year to be almost ?10 million.

"People get the wrong idea," said one source, claiming that Prince Charles's staff, which number about 80, double up on duties to save money.

"What people don't consider is that his work is growing daily. Each day, almost, he adds a different charity. All this takes staff.

"He doesn't spend his money on horses, fast cars, clothing or yachts," said the source. "His one passion is his garden and he does spend on that. And he likes to do dinners properly where everything is laid out very nicely. But that doesn't mean expensively.

"The flowers are always nice, the food is always very good. But often these dinners raise money for his charities.".

A third brochure will detail the Prince's charity work and, it is understood, will illustrate how he has brought in a total of ?76 million in the latest year.

The brochures - the first of which, on finances, will be published at the end of this month - are the initiative of the Prince's private secretary, Sir Michael Peat, who took over the job a year ago.