The Prince of Wales urged civil servants to get involved in voluntary activity with charities and community groups on Tuesday, during a visit to Civil Service Live. Speaking in a session run by the Government Equalities Office, Prince Charles said that having volunteers from government departments makes a fantastic difference [to charities], and volunteering and secondments work both ways: often, civil servants working with voluntary organisations can find out what the issues are.

Championing the work of charity Next, which was set up by the Prince’s Charities Foundation last autumn to encourage fast-streamers to volunteer, the prince noted that “fast-streamers who’ve worked with us have said that they find it hugely revealing – particularly about how many people find it difficult to find their way through the system.

Charles praised HM Revenue & Customs, which he said has been particularly helpful in encouraging its staff to volunteer for the Prince’s Trust; its former permanent secretary Sir Nicholas Montague, he said, “really did lead the way.”

“This is making a huge difference to the [voluntary] sector as well as giving people an insight into what makes the voluntary sector tick,” the prince concluded. “Your skills can be of immense help to these organisations. Hopefully, it will also help joined-up working.”

Prince Charles made his speech after a 90-minute visit to Civil Service Live, during which he spent time touring the exhibition. “I did slightly wonder, going round, who’s running the country,” he quipped afterwards. “I suppose there must be some kind of a skeleton staff left behind in the office.”