According to a report in the News of the World newspaper, Britain’s heir to head of state, Charles Windsor is anti-American and is opposed to the American led war against the Baathist regime in Iraq.
Although Mr. Windsor is supposedly colonel-in-chief of the Parachute Regiment, in which he has never served, he gave what the newspaper described as “a stiff, formal farewell” to its soldiers as they prepared to leave Britain. No mention of the send-off was made on Mr. Windsor’s web site. This was in contrast to the site’s 19 paragraphs, two photographs and speech transcript on his visit to an Islamic education centre.
The News of the World said that Mr. Windsor was a daily reader of the Koran, often “adopts Islamic dress” and spends many hours in discussion with members of the ruling family of Saudi Arabia.
Windsor was said to have referred disapprovingly in private to American “imperialism” and to have claimed that the USA was intent on taking control of Iraq’s oil. His opinions had caused the US to block a planned official visit to that country.
The News of the World reported that Mr. Windsor likes to wear the coveted red beret of the Parachute Regiment, as well as medals that he has not earned.