Prince Charles backs drive for more volunteers

Prince Charles also spoke about becoming a grandfather. File picture: Arthur Edwards/The Sun/PA Wire

Sunday, January 6, 2013
5:53 PM

The Prince of Wales has hailed the spirit shown by volunteers at last year’s London 2012 Games.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are expecting a baby in the summer. File picture: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire

Charles said events like the 2012 Olympics, Paralympics and Diamond Jubilee “bring out the best in people”.

“A lot of people don’t realise how so many of these people keep the whole show on the road,” he said.

“There is something remarkable in this country I think, about the volunteering spirit.”

In an interview with ITV’s This Morning, he also told how the prospect of becoming a grandfather is spurring his environmental beliefs.

Charles, an outspoken campaigner on environmental issues, said that he did not want the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s child, due to be born in the summer, to ask him why he had not done more to tackle issues like climate change.

In an interview at Clarence House with presenters Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, to be broadcast tomorrow, he said: “I’ve gone on for years about the importance of thinking about the long-term in relation to the environmental damage, climate change and everything else.

“We don’t, in a sensible world, want to hand on an increasingly dysfunctional world to our grandchildren, to leave them with the real problem.

“I don’t want to be confronted by my future grandchild and (have) them say: ‘Why didn’t you do something?’ So clearly now that we will have a grandchild, it makes it even more obvious to try and make sure we leave them something that isn’t a total poisoned chalice.”

Charles spoke as he backed This Morning’s You Can Be Heroes Week, which aims to capitalise on the success of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and create a new army of volunteers across the UK.

In a wide-ranging interview he also reiterated his worry about Prince Harry, who is currently serving in Afghanistan, something he also did at the “Millies” military awards last month.

“If you are a parent or relation to a loved one and that person is away in these incredibly dangerous and challenging circumstances, I know you worry all the time,” he said.

“Certainly every night I worry. But Prince Harry loves doing what he’s doing and he’s brilliant at it.”