Britain’s heir to the throne Prince Charles can draw his state pension from Thursday when he turns 65 — despite having yet to start the job he has eyed for a lifetime.

Queen Elizabeth II’s eldest son has endured the longest wait in history by a British heir, and it hasn’t been easy.

But as his 87-year-old mother cuts back on her workload, Charles is increasingly taking centre stage.

Fresh from a tour of India, he will take the queen’s place on Friday at the Commonwealth heads of government summit in Sri Lanka – an event the monarch, in power since 1952, has only ever missed once.

Charles will donate his pension to a charity for the elderly, in keeping with his reputation as a busy philanthropist.

“I feel more than anything else it’s my duty to worry about everybody and their lives in this country, to try and find a way of improving things,” he told Time magazine recently.