THE QUEEN has thwarted a bid by the Prince of Wales to open next year’s Commonwealth Games in Australia.

Charles made approaches to the Australian government through his officials, indicating that he wanted to take the Duchess of Cornwall with him to the Games in Melbourne.

The decision by the Queen to go herself quashes speculation that, as she approaches her 80th birthday next April, she is planning to hand responsibility for overseas tours to Charles.

A source close to the Australian government said Charles had entrusted the task of securing the invitation to Sir Michael Peat, his private secretary.

Had Peat succeeded, it would have helped Charles to assert his claim as future Commonwealth leader and to introduce his wife to his future subjects.

The source complained that Charles approached the issue of taking his mother’s place like “a bull in a china shop”. He said the prince had been anxious to shore up his popularity in Australia after a low-key tour in the run-up to his wedding. One Australian poll showed overwhelming support for a republic in the wake of Charles’s engagement.

But the high-level source said the prince had misjudged the approach: “He just makes the wrong sorts of attempts. It’s a clear inability to understand the politics of it.”

The source indicated that Charles would do better to win the support of Commonwealth leaders by “doing a bit of groundwork” before seeking a glamorous role. The Games are televised internationally and have the highest profile of any Commonwealth event.

One courtier said that, until recently, the prince thought his overseas visits should reflect his judgment that Britain’s future lies more in contacts with the emerging democracies of eastern Europe than with former British colonies.

Diplomats from Commonwealth countries have disclosed that they have orchestrated a “pincer movement” on behalf of their governments and the Queen to convince Charles of the movement’s vitality. There are 53 members after the departure of Zimbabwe.

The Foreign Office knows the value of maintaining special links with countries such as India, Nigeria, Canada and Australia. “No political leader passes up the opportunity to visit London if there is the draw of an audience with the Queen,” said one senior diplomat.

Since his wedding last month, the prince has been anxious to win public acceptance for the marriage by embarking on joint public engagements. Tomorrow he and the duchess will attend a gala performance of The Far Pavilions in London, followed by a tour of the West Country.

However, a visit to the United States this autumn has not yet been confirmed.

The Queen’s decision to open the Games next March is the clearest signal so far that she intends to remain an active head of the Commonwealth.She is due to fly to Canada this week and will attend the Commonwealth summit in Malta in November.

Palace officials are sensitive to the Queen’s age but perceive a reluctance by the monarch to surrender any duties.

Engagements in support of the Commonwealth are said to be the last responsibility she will give up. Throughout her reign she has demonstrated enormous enthusiasm for the institution, and was gratified at the part it played in dismantling apartheid in South Africa.

Charles has taken note. In the past 18 months he has attended a number of briefings with high commissioners at Marlborough House, the headquarters of the Commonwealth secretariat.

A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said she was not aware of any approach on behalf of the prince and added: “It had always been the Queen’s intention to accept the organisers’ invitation to open the Games.”

Clarence House said any informal approaches on behalf of Charles would remain private.

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