As Mel Brooks has told us, “It’s good to be the king.” But if you’re Charles, the Prince of Wales, that’s all good too. For his birthday, Charles must have received many well-wishes and presents…but none were as interesting as the one he received from The Hobbit director, Peter Jackson.
Charles took a tour of Weta Workshop, which is currently in the throes of post-production for the upcoming movie, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (December 14). There, he was given his special gift: the services of the dwarf, Dori, for the rest of the day.
The BBC captured the moment when an actor reveal “I am Dori the Dwarf. And on this special day, your birthday, I offer myself at the request of Sir Peter Jackson for you to command as you see fit.”
I don’t know what I would do with a dwarf servant, who may or may not have an urge to “chip the glasses and crack the plates.” (The dwarves who frustrated Bilbo in J.R.R. Tolkien’s book The Hobbit were actually very tidy.) But according to this Forbes article on household management,
Their job description includes “ entertaining, property & grounds (“hardscaping, snowmelts”), maintenance, transpo & travel (“private jets, yachts, pilots, Bentleys, Lamborghinis”), safety & security, and then finally the quartet of “elder care, childcare, pet care, and guest care.”
No doubt that Prince Charles already has servants for those tasks. But Dori would get it all done in style.
Dori is played by Kiwi Mark Hadlow, who has a secondary role in the movie as the troll, Bert.
For the look of surprise on Prince Charles’ face when offered Dori as a gift, click here.