Last updated 19:24, Thursday, 20 November 2008

WHEN I joined the Times & Star the then editor sent me to Cockermouth to find some stories.

I knew nobody and knew nothing of the area, so I did what any self-respecting reporter would do and headed for the pub.

I spoke to locals who told me of the tragedy of the foot and mouth epidemic.

One man claimed that the only person who had given Cumbria any help through the crisis was Prince Charles.

Others eagerly joined in, describing him as the hero of the hour.

It was he who had come on holiday to Cumbria to show the rest of the world that the district was still “open” for business, and it was he who had drawn attention to the plight of farmers and tourist entrepreneurs in the area.

I soon discovered, after living here for a while, that what a group of people in a Cockermouth pub might have described as help was regarded as “meddling” as far as other people were concerned.

I never thought I had any real opinion on the Royal Family until I came here and discovered how divided people are about the monarchy.

I’ve lived in Commonwealth or former Commonwealth countries all my life. I’ve lived in countries that have gained independence from Britain and in countries where republicanism has been robustly debated. But I have never heard people who are as extremely against the Royals as I have in this country.

And it seems that Charles often gets the brunt of it. Why?

I watched a documentary on television marking his 60th birthday last Friday – and what a man he is.

He visited Burnley, for instance, and found a town in sad decline. He did the hand shaking bit and the waving and the visiting.

But he also held discussions with people, he offered suggestions and within months of his visit a horde of his charities had begun work in the town helping to improve the environment and the lot of the people.

We also saw how he tried to sell the idea to developers that it was possible to build housing estates with a mixture of affordable and luxury housing, all of a high standard.

The developers were not convinced, so he built his own village - and one that his thriving.

Once upon a time there was a prince who lived in an ivory tower; he was considered mad because he talked to his plants and he worried about climate change, the destruction of old buildings and the creation of new and ugly ones.

And his people laughed!

But are we laughing now? I think this was a man ahead of his time, and the rest of us are just catching up.

And once upon a time this same prince tried to make things better and people said that wasn’t his job. The job of a Prince of Wales, they said, was to wave and smile and live in the ivory tower.

But do know what? I’d like, some day, to have a king who has opinions. I would like a king who is a Christian but who is so accepting of other religions that he could become a bridge to harmony in our land.

I’d like a king who wants to be defender of the faiths rather than just the Faith.

During the course of the BBC interview, Charles noted that he was the first prince to be educated in schools and university, rather than at home.

His family had tried to make him “ordinary”, he said, yet now he is criticised for being ordinary and for holding opinions.

The Prince of Wales has made mistakes, but no more than so many men of his generation.

He was in a bad marriage, he admits to being unfaithful, and he divorced.

None of those things are particularly admirable, but look around your own circle of friends. How many are in exactly the same situation?

He is also, it would appear, a loving father who, in turn, has the love and affection of his children.

And, while he doesn’t show it too often in public, he has the sense of humour that made him a passionate fan of people like the Goons.

I watched a comedy show put on in his honour last weekend. There were a lot of pointed jokes, references to his mother’s tight grip on the throne and so on.

And the person who was laughing more than anyone was Prince Charles himself.

Happy birthday for last week, Charles – and keep interfering. We need someone like you!