The Prince of Wales is in no rush to become king because he fears being monarch will be a form of prison, according to one of his officials.
The unnamed individual is quoted in a profile of Prince Charles published in Time magazinewhich features the prince on its front cover.
Time spoke to 50 of the prince's friends and associates.
Prince Charles will represent the Queen at next month's Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Sri Lanka.
For decades, as heir to the throne, the Prince of Wales has founded charities and spoken out on many issues.
In the coming years, he will have to do more of his mother's work as she, now 87, does less.
The Time profile said the prince took on extra royal duties "joylessly" and, far from "itching to assume the crown", he was already feeling its weight and worrying about its impact on his current role.
The writer also stated that the Queen's heir was impatient to get as much done as possible before, in the words of one of his aides, "the prison shades" close.
Prince Charles, who does not comment on his accession, was quoted as saying he had always had this "extraordinary feeling" of "wanting to heal and make things better".
The author of the article said the prince sat down with the magazine "to discuss his hopes - and profound concerns - for the future".
The interview was published as official photographs for the christening of Prince George were released.
They showed the Queen with three future kings - the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge, and Prince George.
It was the first such image since the christening of the future Edward VIII in 1894, with his father George V, grandfather Edward VII and great-grandmother Queen Victoria.
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall will tour India before the Commonwealth summit.
Commonwealth leaders meet every two years and the Queen has attended every one since 1973.
威尔士亲王谈到了他对未来的期望和担忧。
据英国广播公司报道，据一名随从说，威尔士亲王并不急于成为国王，因为他担心王位将是一座牢笼。
这位匿名者的话被《时代杂志》引用在查尔斯王子的人物简介里。该杂志最近给查尔斯王子做了一个封面故事。
《时代杂志》与查尔斯王子的50位亲友谈过话。
查尔斯王子将代表女王出席下个月在斯里兰卡举办的英联邦国家政府首脑会议。
作为王位的继承人，查尔斯王子数十年来一直专注于慈善事业，并在许多问题上表达了观点。
在接下来的岁月中，他将会做更多他母亲的工作，而她则减少工作。
《时代杂志》描述称王子“不开心地”承担下皇室工作，尽管离继位还有很长时间，但他现就已感到了王冠的重量，并担忧它对现今生活产生影响。
笔者同样写道，这位女王的继任者迫不及待地想在王位继承前尽可能地把没有做的做完。他一位助手的原话是，“监牢的阴影”在慢慢走近。
查尔斯王子并未就其继承王位的事做任何评论。他的原话是“他总有‘特殊的感情’想要‘治愈并让事情更好’”。
这篇文章的作者说，王子坐下与《时代杂志》“谈了他对未来的期望和深深的担忧”。
这次的采访在乔治王子受洗的官方照片发布之际发表。
相片中有女王及三个未来的国王——威尔士亲王，剑桥公爵，乔治王子。
这是自1894年的爱德华八世洗礼时和他的父亲乔治五世、祖父爱德华七世及曾祖母维多利亚女王合影以来，王室第一次有类似照片。
威尔士亲王和康沃尔公爵夫人将在英联邦峰会前去印度旅游。
英联邦的首领们每两年见一次面，而女王自1973年每一届都参加了。