The Prince of Wales announced a major restructuring of his charities ahead of his 70th birthday in November, as he began planning for a future in which he will be king.

Palace sources denied the restructure was directly related to preparations for the Prince to become the monarch, or to enable him to adapt his heavy workload to provide more support to the Queen, stressing he would not be spending less time working with his 21 charities.

Instead, it was intended to make the running of his charities more efficient to maximise their impact.

In a video explaining changes to staff on Friday, the Prince said: “As I approach something of a milestone in my own life, I have had a chance to reflect on how best to ensure my charities can continue to help those people and causes they were initially set up to serve, both now and for many years to come.

"As I look at the results of this reorganisation, I have a strong sense of optimism and anticipation.