The Prince of Wales at 60

The Prince's Trust was his idea and, in the 32 years of its existence, it has helped more than 500,000 disadvantaged young people to improve their lives. That alone would entitle him to credit. But Charles has involved himself in very much more than the Prince's Trust.

He believes he has a duty to use his position as Prince of Wales to bring together people of wealth and influence to focus on some of the major issues which face us. This is a role which he describes as his "convening power".

The Prince of Wales title carries no established or formal role, so Prince Charles has had to forge his own path. He is patron or president of about 400 organisations, but is best known for the Prince’s Trust, which he set up in 1976 with his Navy severance pay of £7,400.

Prince Charles set up the Prince's Trust because he felt many young people were excluded from society through lack of opportunity.

The Trust gives training, mentoring and financial support to people aged 14 to 30, focusing on those who have struggled at school, been in care, are long-term unemployed or are young offenders. To date, it has helped more than half a million young people change their lives.

The Trust appears to embody the prince's desire to heal society's many modern-day ills.

Relaxed and informal, the Prince of Wales cuts a dashing figure in his uniform as Colonel of the Welsh Guards in his official birthday photograph released today.

Happy birthday, Your Royal Highness.

[Pippa Wagstaff is currently on a blogging break]

Anniversary

Today is my blogging anniversary or birthday

12 months
330 posts
368 labels

63,102 hits
2,556 Facebook friends before disablement
5 awards
3 bans

5 offers of coffee by the bay
2 threats of legal action

1 offer of dinner
1 offer of marriage

and countless cases of abuse and sexual harassment

Whoever said blogging is dull?

One day of the year when you can be seen as special

It just happens to be a long solitary walk to retirement and a handsome pension waiting for little achievement, and an even lower public and political respectability from your peers and critics, for one person.

It also happens to be the the First Minister's 69th birthday tomorrow. This blog wishes him a happy birthday. Put your feet up on the office sofa with your glass of orange juice to read your papers. Delegate more to others for just one day. Sit back and enjoy the one day of the year that you can be seen as special.

Are you sitting comfortably? Good.

I have some bad news!

Not only has someone summed up your ministerial career in a way that makes you Wales' very own Gordon Brown:

Damn right: Rhodri Morgan is the biggest disappointment to happen to Welsh Labour devolutionary hopes since Ron Davies had his moment of madness. At least
Ron hasn't given up on politics, which Rhodri clearly has. They sat on him over the Richard Commission, they undermined his ministership at every turn. He was so demoralised and knackered he had to sit back and watch while London Labour
launched its viciously anti-Welsh hacks, and now he's waiting to retire so he can watch some golf. What a waste of undoubted talent. The man has become invisible and irrelevant.

The party had high hopes of him, those of us at least who thought the future was devolution. He's like Gordon Brown: spent all his time wanting the job, then when he gets it is a big soggy squib.

Don't be downhearted, it gets better. In August I reported that Rhodri's Facebook group "Rhodri Morgan Appreciation Society" had remained static in membership. September 2007, 20 members; August 2008, 20 members. There's good news in that the membership has risen to 22 in time for his birthday.

I hear you say there must be a BUT.

The bad news is that Welsh Labour's Communications Officer Martyn Williams, and Luke Ellis 'number two' of Minister Carwyn Jones have both left the society.

Life can sometimes be difficult. Congratulations must be given to Assembly Members, Alun Davies and Joyce Watson for remaining members.

Happy Birthday for tomorrow, First Minister.