PRINCE Charles says he is ‘feeling old’ now that he’s expecting his first grandchild this summer.

I wonder how his mother feels. She’ll be 87 when the royal mite enters the world.

Personally, as a grandfather of six, I believe rather than making you feel old, grandchildren help keep you young.

They certainly make you think about the future beyond your own existence. In particular, what type of planet we’re leaving as a legacy to our descendants.

To be fair to the Prince of Wales, he’s been talking for years about the threats to our world through global warming, deforestation and so on.

So it’s no surprise to hear him say in his breakfast TV interview this week that we’re in danger of leaving a ‘total poisoned chalice’ for our children.

But that’s what grown ups have always done.

Throughout history, new generations have been left to pick up the pieces after devastating wars and industrial disasters such as Bhopal and Chernobyl.

But do we learn? Do we heck!

After two world wars, which claimed the lives of millions, we’re still sending young men off to die in battle.

Despite the lessons of the Chernobyl disaster, we are still pursuing a nuclear strategy which could lead to a radioactive waste headache for countless generations to come.

And we put wildernesses at risk in order to help us find ever more inaccessible oil so we can continue heating up the planet.

Whether you believe global warming is all man-made or not, the truth is that global industrial activity is making it worse.

Prince Charles is right to be concerned about the future for his new grandchild.

The problem is that our children become adults. They start off innocent of all blame before becoming worthy teenagers concerned about the planet - but then it goes wrong.

Why?

What is it about growing up that makes us so stupid?