查爾斯年滿65歲 尚未接班就領退休金

Prince Charles plans to claim the government pension he qualifies for when he turns 65 on Thursday, but he still hasn't started the job he was born to do.

The eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II has been heir to the throne since his mother became monarch in 1952, when he was 3. He is the longest-waiting heir apparent in Britain's history, overtaking Queen Victoria's son, Edward VII, two years ago.

Charles became a grandfather earlier this year with the birth of Prince George, the first child born to Prince William and his wife, Kate.

Palace officials said Wednesday that Charles will contribute the government pension to a charity that helps elderly people.

The future king is entitled to about 110 pounds ($175) per week because of his service in the Royal Navy and voluntary contributions he has made.

As Prince of Wales, he certainly doesn't need the pension fund. He enjoys control of the lucrative Duchy of Cornwall, a vast holding established in 1337 by King Edward II to provide income for his heir. It brings Charles millions each year.

The prince, who is accompanied by his wife, Camilla, will mark his milestone birthday representing his mother at the Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Sri Lanka after spending part of the day in India.

For decades, the queen has attended the meeting, and Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine, said that Charles saw taking her place as "quite a momentous occasion."

Stepping in for the queen has become more common in recent years as Elizabeth, 87, has greatly reduced her international travel. Her husband, Prince Philip, 92, has also reduced his public appearances following a series of medical setbacks.

Over his decades as heir, Charles has become known for his strong opinions on topics such as education, architecture, religion, the environment, organic food and homeopathy.

Little said the prince was enjoying his relative freedom to speak out before he becomes king, a role that will require him to be much more cautious in his pronouncements.

"I think he's very much making use of the time available to him in that he can put forward theories and get things done that he won't be able to do when he becomes king," said Little.

Charles has also celebrated his birthday by serving as guest editor of a special edition of Country Life magazine, which shares his enthusiasm for preserving Britain's rural areas.

Charles used his stint in the editor's chair to upbraid supermarket chains for taking advantage of Britain's small farmers and said Britain's farming heritage is at risk.

In an editorial column, he called the countryside "the unacknowledged backbone of our national identity."

In recent years, Charles has also criticized financial companies which he says focus on short-term gains at the expense of the environment.據美國哥倫比亞廣播公司11月13日報道，英國王儲查爾斯11月14日就年滿65歲了，已經有資格領取政府退休金了，但是他還沒有開始從事與生俱來被賦予的那份工作——國王。

1952年伊麗莎白二世登基，當時年僅3歲的查爾斯作爲女王膝下長子，順理成章地成爲了王儲。今年7月，威廉王子和凱特王妃的寶寶喬治王子誕生，查爾斯當上了爺爺。從垂髫稚子到花甲老人，60多年過去了，已經子孫滿堂的查爾斯還是未能繼承王位。其實早在兩年前，查爾斯就已經“趕超”維多利亞女王的兒子愛德華七世、成爲英國史上等待時間最長的王位繼承人。

查爾斯曾在英國皇家海軍服役，根據政府相關規定，他在年滿65歲後就可以領取每週110英鎊（約合人民幣1074元）的退休金了。不過坐擁“康沃爾公爵領地”、每年有數百萬英鎊進賬的查爾斯顯然不用靠這筆錢過活。英國王室發言人13日宣佈，查爾斯將把這筆退休金捐贈給幫助老年人的慈善團體。

在度過65歲生日後，查爾斯將代表母親出席15日到17日舉行的英聯邦政府首腦會議。在此前數十年裏，伊麗莎白二世從未缺席過此類會議。《王室雜誌》主編喬·利特爾說，查爾斯將在一些“相當重要的場合”代替女王行使職責。已經87歲高齡的女王近年來大大減少了國際行程，查爾斯則越來越多地代替女王出現在公衆視野裏。

在過去的幾十年裏，查爾斯曾在教育、建築、宗教、環境、有機食品等方面表達了自己鮮明的觀點。利特爾稱，查爾斯很享受能夠相對自由的這段時光，一旦當上國王，他將不得不更加謹言慎行。