Scottish viewers must have wondered if they were dreaming. On their television set, this Thursday, May 10, 2012, Prince Charles appeared.
Nothing very surprising if it had been an evocation of one of his commitments in the country. But that wasn’t the case at all. The Duke of Rothesay – as he was known in Scotland – had become “Mister Weather”.
A visit to BBC Scotland for its 60th anniversary
Visiting, with his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, to the studios of BBC Scotland – on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of this Scottish branch of British public radio and television – the Prince of Wales was indeed invited to present the weather report. An experience to which the future sovereign engaged with brilliance and humor.
Prince Charles at the BBC Scotland studios in Glasgow, May 10, 2012 Getty Images via AFP / © WPA POOL / GETTY IMAGES EUROPE
Let us not forget that, not only did he deliver many speeches throughout his life as heir to the Crown, but, with a passion for theater, he went on stage when he was a student. He would have dreamed of being an actor if his birth had not decided his destiny, he confided to “Paris Match” in 1969.
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Also, he did not allow himself to be destabilized in any way by reading the text that was scrolling on the teleprompter when several times the names of the Scottish properties dear to his heart – the Windsor Castle at Balmoral, the Dumfries House estate which he contributed to saving and the castle of Mey which was for a long time that of his grandmother Queen Mum – slipped in and were displayed large on the map.
Prince Charles at the BBC Scotland studios in Glasgow, May 10, 2012 Getty Images via AFP / © WPA POOL / GETTY IMAGES EUROPE
Having fun, he even asked in the middle of a sentence: “Who the hell wrote the script? “. And at the end of the bulletin, which at the beginning of May mixed rain, cold, brisk wind and even snowflakes over a major part of Scotland, the father of Princes William and Harry concluded: “Thank God, this is not is not a public holiday”, triggering laughter from those present on the set.
Camilla gave herself up to the experience
After this performance, Camilla Parker Bowles was invited to take her husband’s place and in turn present these same forecasts.
Camilla Parker Bowles, Duchess of Cornwall, at the BBC Scotland studios in Glasgow on May 10, 2024 News-Pictures / © WPA/Nunn Syndication
As reported at the time by “ Belfast Telegraph “, the couple did so well in this challenge that Stav Danaos, the BBC weather presenter, declared “he could have a new rival for his job”.
“They did an excellent job and were consummate professionals,” he said. Highlighting the initiative taken by Prince Charles in this personal comment at the end of his speech, he noted that this type of remark was “always welcome”.
