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Prince could destroy the monarchy, says Welsh MP(Western Mail Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)The monarchy will collapse if Prince Charles continues to 'interfere' in politics after becoming king, a Welsh MP warned last night. The intervention from Labour MP for Newport West Paul Flynn came on the second day of Prince Charles' High Court battle with the Mail on Sunday. The Prince of Wales is attempting to block publication of further extracts of journals containing his thoughts and views during state visits. The court has heard that the Prince sees himself as a 'dissident' working against the political consensus, and yesterday extracts of his journal, relating to the hand- over of Hong Kong in 1997, were released by his legal team. He said the handover to China - which he dubbed 'the great Chinese takeaway' was 'drearily reminiscent of the Soviets and their behaviour'. Mr Flynn told ePolitix.com, 'His actions are suicidal. The only reason why the monarchy and the Queen are successful is that she has kept out of all political decisions and the only way it can continue to survive as an institution is if the monarchy is seen to be above politics. 'If he is going to find it irresistible to interfere in politics - sometimes on the side of sense, sometimes on the side of nonsense - then the monarchy would be in grave peril with him as head of state. It would collapse.' He added, 'We have the royal prerogative where power is invested nominally in the Queen, but if she decided to challenge Parliament or the Prime Minister with it, there would be a constitutional crisis. 'It is based on the assumption that the monarchy will not be involved in politics at all and they will never influence policy, but if he insists on doing it and regards himself as a dissident and a political player, then he should do what everyone else does who has that urge and stand for Parliament. 'He cannot be head of state and an active politician, the two roles are completely incompatible.' When asked whether the Prince was wise to take the legal action that prompted these revelations, Mr Flynn replied, 'The Prince is constantly ill advised.' The High Court heard yesterday that the most controversial remark in Prince Charles' journal, a reference to the Chinese leadership as 'appalling old waxworks', was meant as a political comment rather than a personal attack. Mark Warby QC, for the Mail on Sunday, said the Prince was claiming that the journals, which he said were handed over to the newspaper by a 'disloyal' former employee, were his own private and confidential views and he was as entitled to keep them out of public circulation as 'the humblest private citizen'. Mr Warby referred to the Prince's description of his Chinese hosts. 'He was saying this is a terrible bunch of people, just like the old Soviet regime, and we must not associate with them. He was expressing political hostility.' In an extract from his journal released in court yesterday, Prince Charles describes how, on the outward journey to Hong Kong, he found himself 'on the top deck in what is normally club class'. 'It took me some time to realise that this was not first class, although it puzzled me as to why the seat seemed so uncomfortable.' He wrote he then discovered that other dignitaries, including Edward Heath, Douglas Hurd and the new Foreign Secretary Robin Cook were all 'ensconced in First Class immediately below us'. 'Such is the end of Empire, I sighed to myself.' The Prince is seeking a summary judgement - a ruling without a full trial - of his claim for breaches of confidentiality and copyright. He also wants eight of his journals returned by the newspaper. |