Britain’s Prince Charles sought advice from Jimmy Savile.
According to a new unofficial biography, ‘Charles: The Heart of a King’, by Catherine Mayer, the 66-year-old royal often discussed matters of healthcare with the disgraced, late TV presenter, who was found guilty of sex offences following his death, aged 84, in 2011.
Charles is believed to have turned to Savile due to his influence over and time spent at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Leeds General Infirmary and Broadmoor, making him an "obvious person to tap for advice on navigating Britain’s health authorities".
According to the book, the ‘Top of the Pops’ host – who was a regular visitor to royal residences Highgrove and St James’s Palace – was also asked by the heir apparent to give his opinion on his speeches.
Mayer writes: "Charles also consulted Savile on other matters. One source tells of an occasion when the Prince asked his famous occasional adviser to read over a speech he was due to give on a topic unrelated to health care or any field in which Savile had expertise."
The 400-page work also claims that Savile believed the royal family had taken a shine to him and quotes him as saying: "Royalty are surrounded by people who don’t know how to deal with it…I have a freshness of approach which they obviously find to their liking."
He also compared himself to a "court jester".
‘Charles: The Heart of a King’ which has been serialised by The Times newspaper, goes on sale on Thursday (05.2.14).
Jimmy Savile advised Britain’s Prince Charles
