LONDON () -- Prince Charles, who was due to arrive in Los Angeles Monday for a five-day visit to the U.S., believes the number of members of the Royal Family must be scaled down.


In the final excerpt of a new biography of the prince that appeared in the London Sunday Times, Charles says there are too many minor royals being supported by public funds and too many royal residences.


Charles' biographer, Jonathan Dimbleby, writes that the prince made the comments in a private debate at Buckingham Palace in which senior officials reviewed the Royal Family's objectives and how they could be achieved.


A short time later, the public allowances for several royals were cut, and Queen Elizabeth II agreed to pay taxes on her vast fortune for the first time.