Prince Charles has joked he will never again be able to fit into a pair of "budgie smugglers" as he approaches his 70th birthday! Speaking at an event in Brisbane attended by people celebrating the same milestone this year, the heir to the throne said he knew "only too well" of the "strange feeling of disbelief" at reaching his age. He said: "I do know only too well - and understand - the strange feeling of disbelief that this is actually happening and that never again, for instance, will it be possible to squeeze into a pair of budgie smugglers.
Prince Charles poked fun at his age during a speech
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"I don't know about you, ladies and gentlemen, but now bits of me keep falling off at regular intervals. 'Don't worry', they keep telling me, 'you have brilliant genes'. But the trouble is I can't even get into them either!" he said. Charles, who made the speech at a reception hosted by the Governor of Queensland Paul de Jersey, turns 70 on November 14.
The Prince also took the opportunity to speak of his fondness for Australia, which he first visited 52 years ago. "When I first came to Australia, Australian manhood was partly defined by how many schooners of beer you could line up on the bar - and drink - before the pubs closed early," he said. Describing Australia as "an example for us all", Charles hailed "Aussie values" as a force for good.
Charles and Camilla are currently on a royal tour in Australia
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He added: "Amidst all this, the Aussie character that is so exemplified by the concept of fairness and 'fairgo' is what I believe the world needs so desperately and so urgently - a 'fairgo' for people, our planet and for nature herself." Prince Charles is currently on a seven-day royal tour of Australia with his wife the Duchess of Cornwall. Their trip will include a visit to the South Pacific island of Vanuatu to learn how inhabitants recovered from devastating Cyclone Pam in 2015, as well as a meeting with the family of late wildlife expert Steve Irwin to discuss the plight of the world's coral reefs.
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