International News

Letter from London Princely comment sparks row The media recently had a field day over a public spat between Prince Charles and education secretary (i.e minister) Charles Clarke, over some disparaging comments made by the Prince about the country’s education system. Politicians tend to get hot and bothered when Prince Charles airs his views on almost any subject from architecture to zoology. Moreover to add fuel to fire, on this occasion his opinions were committed to paper by way of a memo left on his desk. The prince’s rather petulant note came to light at an employment tribunal apparently written in response to a suggestion that personal assistants with degrees should have the opportunity to rise within the royal household. He wrote: “What is it that makes everyone seem to think that they are qualified to do things far beyond their technical capabilities?” and proceeded to elaborate that “this is all to do with the learning culture in schools. It is a consequence of a child-centred system which admits no failure and tells people they can all be pop stars, high court judges, brilliant TV presenters or infinitely more competent heads of state without ever putting in the necessary effort or having natural abilities”. Unsurprisingly reaction to such politically incorrect views was swift, and although cabinet ministers traditionally refrain from public criticism of the royal family, this time several ministers publicly criticised the heir to the throne for his inegalitarian memo. Moreover the general public is outraged because the Prince’s own private and privileged education (Gordonstoun and Cambridge), does not reflect most people’s experience. Only 7 percent of school-going children have parents wealthy enough to afford the fees levied by such institutions. Clarke’s response that we can’t all be born to be kings but we can all have aspirations for ourselves, struck a responsive chord. Unusually the Prince decided to respond to his critics by leaking the text of a speech he was scheduled to make in the days following the row. In the speech he would have said, “In my view it is just as great an achievement to be a plumber or a bricklayer as it is to be a lawyer or a doctor. Not everyone has the same talents or abilities.” That is of course true, although the Prince of Wales is probably not the best person to articulate this viewpoint. Because most plumbers and bricklayers would prefer their children to qualify as doctors and lawyers, and with better educational opportunities there should be no reason why they shouldn’t do so. Professor Alan Smithers, an education expert who was asked for his views on the debate, offered the most rounded response. “The Prince is half-right. It is good to raise aspirations but cruel to do so unrealistically. There has been a tendency in the recent past to be reluctant to fail pupils at anything. This has been for the best motives, but it has denied them information valuable to their futures… Charles Clarke is right to want to encourage…