An ill-tempered Prince of Wales was caught making some scathing remarks about sections of media today during a photo-call on his skiing holiday, a week before the royal wedding.

The Prince was picked up on microphone muttering: "I hate doing this" and "bloody people" as he posed for pictures with Prince William and Prince Harry in Klosters, Switzerland.

The unguarded remarks are thought to reflect his anger that paparazzi photographs of William and his girlfriend Kate Middleton having lunch in the ski resort appeared all over tabloid newspapers today.

The royals usually give a staged photo-call in Klosters in return for an unwritten agreement that they will be left alone by the media. There was no sign of Kate, a university student, at the photo-call today.

During the brief five-minute media event in the village of Monbiel, on the outskirts of Klosters, Charles looked uncomfortable as he was asked by BBC television reporter Nicholas Witchell about his feelings in the run-up to his wedding.

“I’m very glad you have heard of it,” the Prince said. But he also uttered: “Bloody people. I can’t bear that man anyway. He’s so awful, he really is.” Charles added: “I hate these people.” Earlier he was spotted saying: “I hate doing this.”

Paddy Harverson, Charles's communications secretary, said of the comments: "He wasn't looking forward to it. He prefers it when he skis and he just wanted to get up into the mountains.

"He doesn't have contempt for the media.

"We have an agreement with the media where they give them space during the holiday but a few paparazzi yesterday got the holiday off to a bad start.

"I think the Prince was a little bit upset about that."

The royals appeared more subdued than on previous skiing photo-calls as they perched on a ledge near a rustic wooden hut.

It was Harry's first official appearance in front of the media since his infamous Nazi fancy dress costume gaffe. Prince Charles, wearing his familiar blue ski suit, helped Harry up on to the makeshift seat by pulling him up by the hands.

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