London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Oct 24, 2026

The many jobs of King Charles: From weather man to voice of Daleks

The many jobs of King Charles: From weather man to voice of Daleks

Charles has had a life less ordinary but has rarely been paid for his moonlighting

He has never received a P45, but Charles III has possibly had more one-off jobs than Homer Simpson.

Althought King Charles is preparing for his coronation, he has somehow found time to moonlight as an announcer for Transport for London and Network Rail.

Alongside his wife Camilla, the monarch’s voice is sounding out across all 2,570 UK rail stations and the 270 London Underground stations over the weekend.

The King greets passengers and passes on the famous instruction of “mind the gap”.

The announcements can be heard on platforms from Friday until Monday, making it another appearance in a long line of special one-offs for the King.

From weather presenter to EastEnders extra, here are ten of the greatest walk-ons, phone-ins and pop-ups from Charles.

Charles and Camilla visit Tanzania


Helper of the Cows

His majesty is used to fancy titles but nothing tops a name the Masai tribe in Tanzania honoured him with when the then-Prince visited in 2011. Around 500 turned out to welcome him to the East African community and they gave him the honorary title of… Helper of the Cows. The name was said to reflect the Royal’s ownership of cattle and it literally translates as "the one who makes cows cry". Camilla, meanwhile, was called Koto Engera - a translation of her name.

Man of the woods


Charles has campaigned for the preservation of rainforests and would have been buoyed to hear, in 2012, that a frog type that was feared extinct was actually still alive. Dr Luis A Coloma discovered the species in Ecuador and named it Hyloscirtus princecharlesi - also known as Prince Charles stream tree frog. Inevitably, jokes followed about Charles being the real Frog Prince… perhaps not one to mention to Camilla if she is in a bad mood.

Charles painting in Paro, Bhutan, while on a royal visit in 1998


Artist


The King is known as a writer but also has a talent with a paintbrush. Buckingham Palace says the King had a watercolour displayed in the Royal Academy’s 1987 summer exhibition, after it was submitted anonymously.

Soap actor


Just last year, Charles III finally fulfilled what must have been a lifelong dream, to meet Danny Dyer and the gang in a cameo in EastEnders. Little acting is required from the Prince and Camilla, who meet overwhelmed locals, much like they do every day in real life.

Ice diver


Some things are best only done once, and for Charles, he wasn’t too keen to try ice diving a second time after an attempt in Canada in 1975. “Mercy me, that was bloody cold,” he told cameras after stepping out from the freezing water.

Charles played polo until 2005 when he was well into his fifties


Weather forecaster


Everybody has their own interests in watching a weather forecast but Charles was looking out for number one while reading it on a visit to the BBC in 2012. “There will be potential for a few flurries [of snow] over Balmoral,” he said, adding: “Who the hell wrote this script?”

Voice of the Daleks


On another visit to a production studio, Charles was followed around by an imposing Dalek from the set of Doctor Who. The man himself then spoke into a voice changer to replicate the villainous tones of the show’s primary antagonists. “Exterminate!” Charles said, “Exterminate!”

The crown today. World domination tomorrow?

Footballer


Going back a few years, Charles captained his school football team. During a season that pales even against Chelsea’s recent form, the side scored four and shipped 82. “Prince Charles seldom drove himself as hard as his ability and position demanded,” a school report said at the time, according to the Guardian. He later excelled at polo.

The King meets Noble, the horse gifted to him by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, at The Royal Mews in Windsor


Art collector


Charles’ talents with the paintbrush only went so far. A book by Tom Bower said that he wanted to swap one of his own paintings with one by Lucien Freud. “I don’t want one of your rotten paintings,” the artist reportedly replied.

Horse seller


A former polo enthusiast, Charles might have moved on from his equine love in selling his mother’s horses after her death for a reported £2.3 million in an auction.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Tour de France Organizers Confirm Historic Grand Depart Featuring Edinburgh and Yorkshire Stages
National Cyber Security Centre Issues Urgent Alerts Following Global Security Vulnerability in Core Programming Software
Independent Energy Analysts Warn Great Britain Faces Highest Winter Power Tariffs in Europe
Major British Defense Contractors Commit to Delivering Forty Thousand New Apprenticeships and Training Placements
New Bradford Railway Station Infrastructure Project Approved to Transform Regional Transit Connectivity Across Northern England
Welsh Infrastructure Stakeholders Press Government for Accelerated Local Sourcing in Military and Uniform Manufacturing
Scottish Council Governance Crisis Triggers High-Court Legal Challenge Over Leadership Ouster Bid
High Street Bakery Chain Greggs Announces Major Factory Closures and Seven Hundred Job Cuts
Automotive Manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover Advances Advanced Defense Technology Partnership with European Allies
Treasury and Bank of England Officials Signal Persistent Concern Over Inflation-Driven Interest Rate Path
International Monetary Fund Upgrades United Kingdom Growth Forecast While Issuing Inflation Warnings
National Health Service Leaders Warn of Severe Capacity Pressures as Early Winter Respiratory Infections Surge
Government Issues Emergency Resilience Guidance Advising All British Citizens to Stockpile Essential Supplies
United Kingdom Private Sector Growth Beats Expectations in October Driven by Resilient Services and Manufacturing
Barclays to Cut Five Thousand Jobs in Major Artificial Intelligence Adoption and Cost-Cutting Overhaul
Piper Tomahawk Aircraft Crash Near Drymen in Stirling Claims Two Lives as Investigators Deploy
North Sea Transition Authority Approves Jackdaw Gas Field Production After Ministerial Authorization
Government Injects One Hundred and Forty Million Pounds to Expand Urgent Care Ahead of Winter Crisis
Department of Health Warns Further Pay Rises Will Derail National Health Service Waiting List Targets
Major Environmental Emergency Declared in South Wales Following Aerospace Kerosene Spill
Tank Barrel Production Returns to Britain as Defence Contractors Accelerate Domestic Rearmament
Government Approves Controversial Jackdaw Gasfield Development in the North Sea
National Health Service Maternity Safety Review Condemned Over Flawed Artificial Intelligence Integration
Dozens of United Kingdom Government Services Taken Offline Amid Critical Software Vulnerability
Barclays Announces Five Thousand Job Cuts Citing Artificial Intelligence Productivity Gains
Treasury Relaxes Post-Financial Crisis Accountability Rules for City of London Executives
United Kingdom Government Issues Unprecedented Guidance Urging Citizens to Stockpile Essential Supplies
United Kingdom Consumer Inflation Accelerates to Eleven-Month High Driven by Transport Costs
United Kingdom Public Sector Net Debt Breaches Three Trillion Pounds Ahead of Autumn Budget
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology Commits Fifty Million Pounds to Establish Regional Artificial Intelligence Innovation Clusters
Ofgem Directs Major Energy Suppliers to Expand Vulnerable Household Support Funds Ahead of Winter Heating Season
Home Office and National Police Chiefs Council Unveil New Intelligence-Led Strategy to Tackle Organised Immigration Crime Networks
First Minister John Swinney Secures Scottish Parliament Approval for Comprehensive Climate and Green Energy Infrastructure Strategy
National Health Service England and Trades Union Congress Finalize Agreement on Emergency Winter Staffing and Pay Frameworks
HM Treasury and Department for Business and Trade Announce Multi-Billion-Pound Sovereign Investment Pact to Spur Regional Advanced Manufacturing
Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey Signals Potential for Faster Interest Rate Cuts as Domestic Inflation Pressures Ease Below Forecasts
Parliamentary Inquiry Highlights Urgent Need to Address Housing Shortage as Scottish Completions Hit Eleven-Year Low
United Kingdom and Singapore Sign Comprehensive Financial Agreement to Deepen Digital and Sustainable Market Ties
Greggs Announces Plan to Close Four Manufacturing Facilities and Cut Seven Hundred and Forty Jobs
International Monetary Fund Raises United Kingdom Economic Growth Forecast While Warning of Inflationary Pressures
Energy Security and Net Zero Committee Urges Government to Shift Policy Costs Onto Gas to Lower Household Bills
Housebuilding Across Scotland Plummets to Eleven-Year Low Despite Government Pledges to Tackle National Housing Emergency
Greggs Announces Factory Closures Across Northern England and Scotland Affecting Seven Hundred Forty Jobs
United Kingdom and Singapore Conclude Eleventh Financial Dialogue in Singapore to Deepen Cooperation on Digital Finance and Capital Markets
Energy Security and Net Zero Committee Urges Government to Shift Policy Costs to Gas Bills and Tap Windfall Profits to Lower Consumer Prices
British Broadcasting Corporation Announces Major Cost-Cutting Overhaul to Close Linear Broadcast Services for Television Channels BBC Three and BBC Scotland Alongside Digital Radio Station BBC Radio Four Extra
London Capital Markets Face Renewed Scrutiny After High-Profile Offerings Underperform Post-Listing
Green Party Wins Historic First Westminster Parliamentary By-Election in Gorton and Denton
Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds Unveils Sweeping Regulatory Overhaul for English Water Industry
United Kingdom Health Security Agency Confirms Thirty-Four Cases in Kent Meningitis Outbreak
×