The Charitable Prince

The UK's Prince William says he wants to continue his parents' charitable work but that he'll do it his own way.

"There's a time and place for being an ornament as such, or shaking hands and being at an engagement and showing support in that way, but I think there's an awful lot more from actually doing stuff," he said at a charity forum he and his younger brother Harry organized, according to the BBC.  

The royal brothers, who are both pursuing military careers, have set up The Princes' Charities Forum, a group made up of about 20 charities the pair have close links with.

The forum meets twice a year, trying to help the different charities swap ideas and share resources.

William and Harry also plan to set up a charitable foundation that will hand out grants to organizations they support.

In July, William climbed Helvellyn, England’s third highest mountain, with a group of homeless men and women and Mountain Rescue volunteers. He enjoyed the experience so much he joked he wanted to try Mount Everest.

At the charity forum, held at St James’ Palace, William said he was "inspired" by the work of his parents – Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana – and also his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth.

William – the second in line for the British throne – said while he was "not in their league" and still "warming up," he felt he could make more of a difference by becoming involved with charities, compared with just attending opening ceremonies.

"What I try to do is take the best bits of my mother's charitable work and the best bits of my father's charitable work and do them both together," said the prince. "I'm not in their league, but I'm warming up, hopefully, and I'm trying to do what I can."

How, specifically, has his grandmother inspired him? "How she's gone about things and how she cares about areas of life and people is particularly important," he said. "Her work and her duty and the dedication she has given to herself and to the country has been very inspiring. I think she has done a fantastic job and I look up to what she does."

The eco-minded prince is currently Patron or President of the following organizations: Centrepoint, The Child Bereavement Charity, The English Schools’ Swimming Association (ESSA), The Football Association, Henry Van Straubenzee Memorial Fund, HMS Alliance Conservation Appeal, Mountain Rescue (England and Wales), A Positive View 2010, Royal Air Force Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, The Royal Marsden Hospital, Skill Force, The Tusk Trust and The Welsh Rugby Union.

Addressing an audience of charity officials at the forum, the prince showed he’d inherited not only his mother’s charitable aims but her gentle sense of humor. Making a joke about Harry's absence from the forum (the red-haired prince is at helicopter training), Prince William said: "Sorry that Harry is not here. He's flying, but he's just not very good, so he has to do more than me."

Photo courtesy Samar Pankanti via Flickr.