To think, "Well said Prince Charles!"

[FrancesNiadova]

I agree with the news commentators who say he shouldn't be writing to cabinet ministers, trying to influence policy. However, Putin, invading countries & handing out Russian passports, is behaving like a land-grabbing dictator.
Prince Charles is not the King, yet, so he is maximising his opportunity to say, well, what we're all thinking, basically.
I remember the controversy of the State Visit of the Chinese President. Instead of joining the formal greeting party & banquet, he booked himself to attend a much more minor event in Cornwall, to show his disgust for human rights abuses. The snub was not missed by the Chinese & the media.
Is it unreasonable to be pleased that he speaks out & a bit by the bad press he's getting for it!

I like charles, half of what he does is completely potty, but he believes stuff and stands up for what he believes.

Firstly he doesn't say 'what we are all thinking' he is voicing his own opinions, he doesn't speak for me, I certainly don't agree with his views on architecture, organic foods or hunting.

Also we don't know what he thinks as his correspondence hectoring cabinet ministers was blocked by the attorney general, so we don't know what influence he holds.

If he wants to continue with his life of unalloyed luxury and privilege as head of state in waiting, shut the fuck up and concentrate on waving and unveiling plaques at newly opened leisure centres.

If he wants to air his views as a private citizen he is more than welcome to give up his position as heir to the throne and campaign on any issues he likes.

Only time will tell if Putin is anything like Hitler - he so far hasn't murdered millions of people so it is quite an offensive thing for a public figure like Charles to say...

^what compos hat and latara said^
I thought it was an unbelievably crass and offensive comment.

As he hasn't been elected by any of us to voice his opinion I think he should stfu

I'm sure Putin gives a massive fuck about what Prince Charles thinks.

Adsy, it's questionable whether Putin was elected democratically either!

Does someone need to be elvers in order to voice their opinion? If that is so, then probably 99% of Mumsnetters should shut the fuck up.

Elected. Not elvers.

I agree that only elvers should voice an oipinion. Fully grown eels should also stfu!

I think there definitely are some parallels between Putin's actions and the Nazis in the 1930s in the lead-up to WW2. The Nazis don't just equal concentration camps and all-out war. They were a political party who made a lot of more subtle (though as time went on increasingly unsubtle) changes first. I think it's worth pointing out the similarities when they appear.

The general approach of UKIP also reminds me of the Nazis at that time - promoting a lot of populist reactionary ideas and being "of the people". That's one of the reasons I regard them with a lot of suspicion. It doesn't mean I'm accusing them of mass murder.

It's not crass or terrible to say it. It's historical awareness and opinion. Plenty of newspaper columnists discuss similar things and they're not elected.

I'm sure Charles is not supposed to mouth off as much as he does and it gives the royal family a headache. I also don't agree with a lot of his bizarre pronouncements, but I do respect that he's true to himself. He says what he thinks and upsets people. On the plus side, he's not a brown-nosing people-pleaser who only cares about money.

No adsy but he is speaking as second in line to the throne. He should avoid making provocative statements or wielding influence which he has by dint of his position.

If he was Charle Windsor, retired plumber from Highgrove woyld he have such a platform?

Did he make a speech or was it in a conversation with someone? If it was in a conversation then surely he's allowed to voice an opinion? Speechifying would be a no-no for me.

It was part of a private conversation, but he must have known that it would be repeated.

I support him using his position to speak out about human rights abuses & his dislike of what Putin is doing. Well said!

I'm not supportive of when he writes to cabinet ministers in an attempt to influence policy.

I do feel that today though, the bad press is unwarranted. I'd love to tell the world what I thought of Vlad, his homophobia, takeover bid of Ukraine & now sucking up to China.

Prince Charles should not be giving his views on world leaders in any circumstances other than the truly private ie to his small inner circle of family and friends who can be trusted to respect his privacy. This is entering into the realm of politics where he has no business to be. His role, and that of the royal family generally, is to be apolitical figureheads,wIth no political power or influence whatsoever. The fact that people may agree with some of what he says is irrelevant - it's not his business to say it.

And that is, unfortunately, what he doesn't like - inhabiting an empty shell of a role for decades, forced to keep silent and keep his strongly-held opinions in check. But that's the deal with the modern monarchy - they are prohibited absolutely from politics and wield no real power. In exchange, they live a life of unique status, wealth and privilege based on nothing but heredity. The trouble with Prince Charles is that he wants both.

The press have been drawing parallels for weeks with Hitler's annexation of other territories.

Totally agree with ComposHat He may have a point about Putin or he may not, but I'm sick of the spoilt brat abusing his privilege quite so often, shouting his mouth off when it suits and withdrawing behind his position when it doesn't (as with blocking the report on the legality of his "marriage" and his lobbying letters to ministers)

Oh, and does anyone seriously believe he'll zip his mouth when (if) he becomes king?? We might as well hope for the sun to rise in the west ...

The press has every right to make comparisons between Putin and Hitler -Prince Charles has no right to endorse them. He has a constitutional duty not to get involved in politics.

First time I have ever respected him, just saying what most people I know think and worry about.

compos I agree. that's why I think he should shut up.
Same as when he spouts off that modern medicine is in some way not as good as homeopathy.
Until he has a full scientific training, he shouldn't be speaking about stuff he has no expertise of.
unfortunately, there are some people who will be influenced by him just because he is heir to the throne ( god kknows why anyone would listen to him)

I think he is entitled to say what he likes in a private conversation. You, and others, are entitled to ignore, disagree or agree if that conversation is reported.

He should not stand up and make a speech about it though.

Now UKIP have criticised him, go Prince Charles!

Composhat he should not be expressing political views in public, nor expecting they should have attention paid to them.

Putin giving a former part of Russia a referendum to return to them and taking them back when they overwhelmingly vote FOR isn't remotely comparable to the war crimes of Western leaders who've genuinely invaded countries that didn't want them, dumped bombs on their heads and killed about a million leaving millions more as refugees and more again living in hell, comparing him to Hitler is absurd.

Our dearest allies, the Saudis abuse and enslave their foreign workers (the non western ones of course), enslave half the population for being female, execute homosexuals and rape victims, fund terrorism throughout the world and are responsible for the thousands of foreign fighters terrorising Syria, resulting in a horrific civil war, ethnic and religious cleansing and millions of refugees. The west supports that too. And whines about Putin because he doesn't.

The hatred of Putin amongst the political class has nothing to do with human rights, they now to far worse, it's everything to do with him not supporting their wars, not allowing foreign billionaires to strip his country of wealth, putting mafia style oligarchs in prison and being an ally of Iran, not Saudi Arabia.

Putin's no saint but he may as well be one compared to the awfulness of those creating false comparisons with Hitler and their allies. They seem to be trying to start another war.

The condemnation that he has made of Mr Putin & his behaviour is supported by all the main UK political parties.

I'm glad that he's spoken out about Putin & used his position to do so.