Last updated at 1:38 AM on 18th July 2010 Peter Mandelson has angered Prince Charles by repeating details of private conversations with him in which he told the heir to the throne he was ‘glum’. Lord Mandelson was challenged by Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O’Donnell over the indiscretions, but insisted he had a right to include them in his memoirs. However, the disclosures have caused serious displeasure in Royal circles. ‘We think the custom whereby politicians do not repeat private conversations with members of the Royal Family in their memoirs is important,’ said a well-placed source. Collision course: Prince Charles may not be smiling when he reads details of conversations he had with Peter Mandelson in the latter's memoirs Lord Mandelson’s book, The Third Man, describes how he first met the Prince at a private lunch at Highgrove with Camilla Parker Bowles, three weeks before Diana’s death. He writes: ‘He was concerned about his image. How did I think he was seen? “You command more affection, or sympathy, and respect than you realise,” I said, but I added that some people had “gained the impression you feel sorry for yourself, that you’re rather glum and dispirited”.’ Lord Mandelson also discloses how Charles wrote to him complaining about Tony Blair’s ‘misguided’ policies – and how, acting on Mr Blair’s instructions, he phoned the Prince and ordered him to stop making ‘unhelpful’ attacks on GM crops. ‘I spoke to Charles from a traffic jam in the middle of Manhattan. Like Tony, I felt his remarks were becoming unhelpful. They were anti-scientific and irresponsible in the light of food shortages in the developing world. I am sure Charles didn’t change his mind as a result of our conversation, but he did tone down his public interventions.’ The Mail on Sunday has been told that when Lord Mandelson’s book was vetted by the Cabinet Office, Sir Gus questioned the Royal indiscretions, but that Lord Mandelson argued it was reasonable to include them. A Cabinet Office spokesman said: ‘We will not be commenting further.’ A spokesman for Lord Mandelson said: ‘We abided by the Cabinet Office advice.’ Prince Charles’s spokesman said: ‘We have no comment.’Prince Charles's fury over Peter Mandelson's memoir anecdotes
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1295620/Prince-Charless-fury-Peter-Mandelsons-memoir-anecdotes.html#ixzz0u0yH90X1
Sunday, 18 July 2010
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