LONDON (AFP) - Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, has complained that his future subjects have "tortured" him over his relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles, a newspaper reported.
The Mail on Sunday said the prince's comments to BBC journalist Gavin Hewitt, included in a new book, will fuel concern at the public's growing disenchantment with the monarchy and the prince's suitability to become king.
While at first refusing to discuss his relationship with Parker Bowles, Charles is pressed further and then snaps: "I thought the British people were supposed to be compassionate. I don't see much of it," the Mail said.
Hewitt said that the heir to the throne went on to complain bitterly that he was being "tortured" by people over his relationship, according to the newspaper.
"I don't see any reason why I should define my private life," Charles was quoted as saying. "All my life people have been telling me what to do. I'm tired of it. My private life has become an industry."
And he pleads: "I just want some peace."
The Mail said the prince made the candid remarks to Hewitt in Sofia, Bulgaria, in 2003.
Prince Charles and Parker Bowles, who have been seeing each other off and on for 30 years, finally announced on February 10 that they would marry on April 8 at a civil wedding in Windsor.
A spokesperson at the British Broadcasting Corporation said Hewitt's book was being published by Macmillan, but nobody was available for comment at the publisher late on Saturday.
Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for Charles refused to discuss details of the conversation. "We never comment on private conversations the Prince of Wales may or may not have had," she said.
The Daily Telegraph newspaper published a YouGov poll on Saturday showing that the monarchy has been seriously damaged by the litany of errors overshadowing the wedding.
Less than a third of those polled now believe that the prince should become king, and a further quarter even said that the monarchy should end when Queen Elizabeth II (news - web sites) retires or dies, according to the poll.
That figure has fallen to 31 percent and contrasts sharply with 48 percent two years ago, the poll said.
