THIS was the moment when Prince Charles came to the painful realisation that, whatever else he might achieve in life, he was not cut out for a career in go-karting. He squeezed into a kart made by pupils at All Saints’ School, in Barmulloch, Glasgow, as he toured projects that had been helped by his Prince of Wales Fund.

His visit to the new, £300,000 Molendinar community centre was extended by 30 minutes as he spoke to people about their problems, including unemployment, and he sympathised with youngsters who told him of the difficulties they had in finding work. The Blackhill area had many difficulties of its own; critics had said that Charles would not visit its worst parts, but he and his entourage proved them wrong. At one point, the Prince asked our reporter, Gerry Burke, if he was reporting his tour, and added with a grin: “I hear you don’t think I will be seeing the correct areas.” Later, as he opened the £2m model-ship gallery at the Museum of Transport, he spotted an attractive woman who had a tiny golden whistle around her neck. The crowd cheered when he told her: “Blow on that and you can follow me anywhere.”