Prince Charles fills in as BBC weatherman

EDINBURGH, Scotland, May 12 (UPI) -- Prince Charles, in Scotland for the annual Holyrood Week, made a surprise appearance as a weather presenter on BBC Scotland.

Once the BBC posted the footage on its Web site, it became an international sensation, The Guardian reported. The prince and his wife toured BBC's Scottish headquarters Thursday in conjunction with BBC Scotland's 60th anniversary.

Charles, an old hand at public appearances, did a creditable job that included a few humorous asides like "Who the hell wrote this script?" when he read a forecast for Balmoral, the royal family's Scottish estate. He ended a gloomy report with forecasts of rain and snow for much of the country with the comment, "Thank God it isn't a bank holiday."

Viewers only learned who would be going on when weather when presenter Sally Magnusson introduced him: "Let's take a look at the weather forecast now. I'm delighted to say we've got a new member of our weather team -- let me hand over to him now. Your Highness..."

Camilla Duchess of Cornwall also took a quick turn at weather presenting.

Stav Danaos, the regular weatherman, praised both prince and duchess for their work.

"They did a great job and were consummate professionals," Danaos said. "The prince even ended with his own pay-off line, which is always good."