PC Gone Mad

‘SUCH is Prince Charles’s renewed love of the hand-written letter that we fear he may soon give up speaking completely and only communicate by scribbled notes.

Charles introduces Fuchsia to his mum

But as he sends a short memo to his favourite fuchsia, soliciting her thoughts on organic husbandry and the part Christmas plays in a multi-cultural society, another of his missives is being read aloud at a tribunal hearing in Croydon, South London.

The letter, as featured on the Mail’s front page, is part of Elaine Day’s case for unfair dismissal from his payroll.

She’s claiming sexual discrimination and unfair dismissal from the job she held at Clarence House for the better part of five years.

She complains about being ‘inappropriately touched’ by her boss, assistant private secretary Paul Kefford, and being upset by the ‘elitist, Edwardian-style’ culture within the house.

This Edwardian style is not a reference to Charles’s younger brother Eddie and his penchant for tweed, but rather to the late King Edward VII (1901-1919), who was denied kingly privileges by a domineering mother and scandalized by his own sexual indiscretions.

As such, we who have seen Prince Charles scratch around for a job while mummy sits on the throne and take a mistress in the form of the fragrant Camilla wonder what else Day expected to find.

But the real shocker is the contents of Charles’s letter, which he felt impelled to write after Day had asked if a personal assistant, such as she, with a university degree could train as a private secretary.

Charles’s response, delivered to an aide runs: ‘What is wrong with everyone nowadays? What is it that makes everyone seem to think they are qualified to do things far beyond their technical capabilities?’

Not waiting for any response, Charles goes on: ‘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 personalities or even more competent heads of state without ever putting in the necessary effort of having natural abilities.’

Get thee to a jungle, indeed.

But Charles is not finished and, in his letter dated March last year, he concludes: ‘What am I to say to say to Elaine in reply? She is so PC it frightens me rigid.’

For anyone as stiff as the Prince, Day has seemingly achieved the impossible.

But, as any begonia will tell you, Charles is no heart-hearted throw-back who thinks a woman’s place is running the kitchen staff from the back of a horse.

So, we urge Charles to give Elaine a go. Start small and build up her role. Who knows, one day she may achieve her ambition, but in the meantime she’s got a lot of toothpaste to squeeze…’

Posted: 18th, November 2004 | In: Tabloids Comment | TrackBack | Permalink