Prince Charles troubles

There was a moment a few months back when the royal family seemed to be getting its post-Diana act together. Neither the tabloids nor their apparently insatiable readers were going to make it easy but Prince Charles did appear to grasp that for him and his dynasty less had to be more.

So he presented himself in the guise of father and quiet countryman, waiting patiently for the succession. What choice did he have, given the queen's aim of hanging on? In quiet dignity his liaison with Camilla Parker-Bowles could also take its course.

And now here's the whole tawdry business of the royal marriage being aired once more, the fuss over Penny Junor's book compounded by the issue of a "joint" statement by the heir to the throne and Mrs. Parker-Bowles. But what is she -- partner, friend, mistress? Anything but spouse it seems.

What does Charles want her to be called? Not for the first time Charles wants it every which way. If he did not authorize his "friends" to talk to Penny Junor he has not done a very convincing job of denying she has picked up something genuine from his entourage in their attitudes toward Diana. Let him clear the air and declare that no one worth his friendship would ever dream of talking to an author intent on stirring the mud.

-- The Guardian, London