We are all, I suspect, familiar with the iconic Da Vinci drawing of the man spreadeagled in the circle – “Man the measure of all things”. Tonight I watched a film about The Prince of Wales at 60. It was a beautifully structured and filmed documentary revealing a very different side of the Prince to the view we have been served up in the past. It was fascinating. I am a ‘conceptual republican’ by which I mean that I believe in the state, but a state where all have equal opportunity and to some extent monarchy precludes this ideal.
I enjoyed watching the film. As I watched I saw a man who is indeed passionate about his country, our country, a man with a considerable range of opportunity and interest which I feel sure he would be the first
to admit he has been privileged to enjoy. But he puts a great deal back without making a song and dance about it, as do all those who work in his charities, and the coverage of The Prince’s Trust demonstrated that. As the film unfolded I found myself enjoying listening to his thoughts, enjoying his diversity and humour. Yes…. at 60 he has made the role of The Prince of Wales his own and I hope that he will continue to do so and tweak a few tails.
The one phrase in the film I particularly enjoyed was when the Prince said, in the context of talking about Children in the Arts: “We should concentrate on excellence and forget about elitism.” Seems a pretty good concept to me.
The film is on BBC iPlayer if you have the time or inclination to watch. A portrait of an interesting man.
I shall continue to believe in the ‘conceptual republic’ – He’d be quite a good ‘President’ I suspect. I wonder what he’d be like if he was allowed to talk freely and openly without the restrictions of protocol and convention. 🙂
Charon QC 