Charles makes plea to save albatrosses

The Prince of Wales thanked Rae Nichols (left) and her sister Robyn for drawings of him and Camilla Parker Bowles. Picture / Mark Mitchell

Escaping to the other side of the world is a good way to avoid the tedium of planning a wedding, but the small crowds of royal fans who came to wave to the Prince of Wales yesterday were not about to let him off too easily.

The heir to the throne had two semi-public engagements in Dunedin on the first day of his five-day whistlestop tour.

A crowd of around 300 greeted him at St Paul's Anglican Cathedral, including the Nichols family, new migrants from Britain.

Nine-year-old Robyn and her 7-year-old sister Rae had drawn and framed pictures of Prince Charles and his fiancee, Camilla Parker Bowles, which they hoped the Prince would appreciate. He did, thanking the girls and asking, "How did you know?" about his upcoming nuptials.

Another newly arrived Brit, James Fairclough, said he was pleased the crowds were small enough to give him more than just a fleeting glimpse. "I just reckon he should have brought his bird over with him too. Shame to leave her behind to do all the hard work planning the wedding, especially with the Queen for a mother-in-law."

But it was birds of a different feather that captured the Prince's interest for most of the afternoon during a visit to the Taiaroa Head Royal Albatross Visitor Centre on the tip of the Otago Peninsula.

The conservation of the albatross has long been a cause close to Prince Charles' heart and yesterday he gave an emotional speech imploring the need to care for and cultivate the birds' survival. "If they go it would be as if one's heart was torn out," he said.

His speech followed a lengthy walkabout on the reserve where he was able to have a close encounter with a nesting bird and her chick.

The Prince said he had long been looking forward to visiting the centre, which his sister, the Princess Royal, opened almost 15 years ago.

* Prince Charles' Dunedin motorcade yesterday passed a man police said was involved in a "minor incident of disorder" in a Macandrew Bay suburb bus stop shelter. It is understood that the incident may have involved a man in a partial state of undress.

Stamp of approval

LONDON - The Queen has agreed to issue a set of stamps commemorating the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles, the Sunday Telegraph reported, dubbing it an "early gift" from the sovereign to her son.

Much has been made of the Queen's decision not to attend the civil wedding ceremony on April 8, and the stamps are likely to be heralded by royal watchers as a sign of her approval of the marriage.

Charles and Mrs Parker Bowles are said to be "delighted" by the news.

The newspaper said the Queen, who personally approves all stamp designs in Britain, would be shown several possible styles within the next two weeks.

The paper also said that Britain's poet laureate, Andrew Motion, would write a poem commemorating the event.