Filed by KOSU News in World News.
May 10, 2012

In Scotland, viewers of a nightly BBC news program got a surprise Thursday, when Prince Charles stood in front of a weather map to tell them about all the rain and cold they’d soon experience.

The heir to Britain’s throne was introduced by anchor Sally Magnusson as “a new member of our weather team.” And as she was saying those words, the prince seemed to be unaware that he was already on camera, as he toyed with the clicker used to change the images displayed behind him. But he soon got down to business.

“Well, it’s an unsettled picture as we head toward the end of the week,” the prince said. He later added, “We’re under the influence of low pressure.”

Reading a weather report written especially for him, Prince Charles ran through Scotland’s mostly wet conditions, with famous royal residences in the area taking the place of the usual towns and cities that give viewers geographical cues to weather patterns.

It was a move that seemed to tickle the prince — but also made him ask at one point, “Who the hell wrote this script?”

At the end of his segment, Prince Charles did not engage in banter with the anchors — about the bad weather somehow being his fault, for instance, or what he thought of the latest sports news.

Instead, after informing his viewers of the cold temperatures and wet conditions that await them, he said, “Thank God it isn’t a bank holiday,” drawing laughter from those in the studio.

The BBC reports that Prince Charles and his wife visited BBC Scotland’s Glasgow headquarters as part of the network’s celebration of 60 years in television. [Copyright 2012 National Public Radio]