Prince Charles has waited his life to be king

LONDON (WHDH) -- Prince Charles has waited his entire life to be king.

The prince has seen his eldest son married and watched his mother celebrate 60 years on the throne, yet still he waits for the day that he will be king.

In British history no heir apparent has waited so long. Prince Charles, 64, portrayed a hint of mortality in an outburst of frustration.

His words made headlines in British papers, taken as a read on his long wait for the throne, even though he was officially talking about work to restore a stately home.

Prince Charles is famously one of the hardest working royals. He runs charities and speaks out on issues he cares about, like global warming.

But he worries that the clock is ticking for him too. His mood made worse perhaps by a recent poll that found Prince Charles less popular than even his new daughter in law.

In the same survey, the British liked Charles less than the queen and also his son, who is waiting to be king.

One day Prince Charles will be in command of an entire nation, but he may still be a few birthdays short of becoming king. Royal experts said the queen will never give up the throne, not before she dies, because she sees it as her duty.

The queen is 86 years old; her mother lived to be 101.