Prince Charles' controversial comments

The Prince of Wales' tour of Canada had gone largely unnoticed until this morning.  The prince, along with the Duchess of Cornwall, arrived in the country on Sunday for a four day visit.  There has been a light dusting of photographs and a couple of comments here and there about the event but largely it's passed by without too many people worrying.  Until now.  A comment reportedly made by the Prince of Wales in a private conversation with a volunteer at a museum has plunged the royals into a political row.

The Prince of Wales has encountered controversy again after reported comments made in a private conversation

The prince stopped to chat to Marienne Ferguson who was forced to leave Poland just before it was occupied by the Nazis in 1939.  She and her parents and sisters escaped but several other family members were left behind and died in concentration camps.  Mrs Ferguson, who is now 78, said she and the prince talked about her past and that he made a comment she couldn't quite remember but which she thought was something along the lines of the prince saying that what happened then was 'not unlike what is now happening in Russia, what Putin is doing'.  

The Prince of Wales is reported to have made remarks comparing the actions of Russia with the actions of the Nazis in the run up to World War Two

Clarence House says that it is a private conversation and so no comment will be made on it.  Some senior politicians in the UK have defended the prince's right to have an opinion and to talk about things freely in private although one MP, Mike Gapes, said that if the prince wanted to talk freely about politics he should give up his royal position and stand for election.  

The Prince of Wales arriving in Canada - comments he made in private on his tour there have caused controversy

The prince's dilemma is that while this is a private conversation, he is a public figure with his every word pounced upon.  One day he will be head of state of the United Kingdom and even if the monarchy holds very little actual real power, the power of its image is undeniable and huge.  The words of a king in waiting end up being beamed around the world and while his thought don't dictate UK foreign policy, they do reach the ears of foreign powers.  Now all eyes will be on Prince Charles in June when he is scheduled to meet Vladimir Putin at events to mark the 70th anniversary of D Day.  Whether these comments will overshadow that event remains to be seen.  But it is certain that Charles is making headlines once again.