Clarence
House has confirmed that the Prince of Wales will meet the Dalai Lama
in May. The news comes just days after the Tibetan leader
threatened to step down following violent anti-Chinese protests by his
supporters.
Asked to confirm if the meeting between Prince Charles and the Tibetan leader
will go ahead, a royal spokesman said only: "Yes, that is accurate."
The religious leader, who spoke this week of China’s rule of Tibet being akin to "cultural
genocide",
is viewed as a separatist by the People’s Republic of China which
claims ownership of the tiny region which is referred to as the "Roof of The World".
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown surprised the House of Commons on Wednesday
when he announced that he will meet with the Dalai Lama in May.
News of such meetings threaten to soil diplomatic relations between
Britain and China amidst ongoing international debate and analysis of
the poor Human Rights record of China and its treatment of the people
of Tibet.
Last year, a meeting between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the
Dalai Lama prompted an angry response from the Chinese regime, following which
relations between the two nations cooled for several months.
Although such a theory was (and could never be) officially confirmed by
royal aides, commentators suggested the prince was showing his support
for the Tibetan cause by his non-attendance at a state banquet hosted
by the Queen for the visiting President of China.
This won’t be the first time that the future king has shown his support for the
people of Tibet.
In January, it was revealed that the prince's office had confirmed to the Free Tibet campaign group that he would not be attending the Olympic Games opening ceremony
in Beijing in August.
Comment: I have not seen in HRH Charles' speeches, his account or comments about his relationship as Prince of Wales to the historical Kingdom Covenant as it was set up.
Maybe I'm off-topic here, but if I were in line for the throne I would be very clear about its history (which is conveniently omitted from the Royal site also) and how I fit in to the pattern that was erected in the beginning. Wouldn't you?
Has the Prince visited Tara Ireland or Rosslyn Chapel to discuss their part in the origin of the British Crown? Just wondered.
