Prince Charles

London, Nov. 22 (Reuters): Britain?s Prince Charles, under fire for being old fashioned and elitist, battled today to convince his future subjects he is not out of touch.

The 56-year-old prince has drawn fierce criticism since last week when a private memo he wrote was interpreted by critics as suggesting too many people were unjustified in expecting to better themselves.

?What is wrong with everyone nowadays?? the prince wrote in the memo last year. ?Why do they all seem to think they are qualified to do things far beyond their capabilities?

His comments touched a raw nerve in a country where class divisions are still pronounced and newspapers pounced on them as the arrogant words of an heir to the throne scornful of the lives of ?ordinary people?.

Angry education secretary Charles Clarke ridiculed the prince as ?old-fashioned? and ?out of time? and added: ?We can?t all be born to be king...?

But at a seminar in London today, Charles denied he had ever said people should not try to ?rise above their station?.

?Not everyone has the same talents or abilities but everyone, with the right nurturing, can make a real difference to their communities and to the country,? he said.

?Ambition is a good thing and should never be constrained by a person?s starting point in life.

?But success can come in many forms. In my view, it is just as great an achievement to be a plumber or a bricklayer as it is to be a lawyer or a doctor,? he said. In a highly unusual move, his aides released his remarks to the media ahead of his speech.

Charles often sets tongues wagging with his comments on education, alternative medicine and organic farming as well as his with long-time ties with Camilla Parker Bowles.