The heir to the British throne, Prince Charles, has been described by one of his officials as being unenthusiastic about taking over from his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
A profile of Charles in Time magazine says he worries about the impact of becoming king on his current work.
For decades, Charles has founded charities and spoken out on issues. In the coming years, he will have to do more of his 87-year-old mother's work as she does less, the BBC reports.
The Time profile said the prince took on extra royal duties "joylessly" and, far from "itching to assume the crown", he was already feeling its weight and worrying about its impact on his current role.
The writer also stated that the Queen's heir was impatient to get as much done as possible before, in the words of one of his aides, "the prison shades" close.
Prince Charles, who does not comment on his accession, was quoted as saying he had always had this "extraordinary feeling" of "wanting to heal and make things better".
The author of the article said the prince sat down with the magazine "to discuss his hopes - and profound concerns - for the future".
Time spoke to 50 of the prince's friends and associates.
Prince Charles will represent the Queen at the Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Sri Lanka in November.
