London
Prince Charles was pilloried in the British press last week for daring to criticize government policy. For some 30 years, the prince has been sending government ministers letters—known to the recipients as “black spiders,” because of Charles’ spiky handwriting and penchant for underlining and exclamation points—in which he expresses his displeasure about Great Britain’s changing society. The royal habit was a secret until last week, when someone leaked a letter from Charles to Tony Blair complaining about the proposed ban on fox hunting. The prince said aristocratic hunters were more “victimized” than ethnic minorities and complained about the “political correctness” destroying British traditions. Most of the press denounced such meddling as inappropriate coming from a future figurehead.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Dead Man Walking: searing contemporary opera is a ‘triumph’The Week Recommends Death row drama ‘deals with the very essence of morality, judgement and conscience’
-
Kenny Dalglish: a ‘warm and gusty’ documentaryThe Week Recommends A riveting portrait of a Liverpool FC legend
-
The Southern Ocean is holding in a 'burp'Under the radar The heat from the past can affect the future
