Prince Edward Infuriates Prince Charles
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The
rift between Prince Charles, left, and Prince Edward has
deepened due to a request Charles couldn't believe his
younger brother had the "audacity" to make. |
Britain's Prince Edward reportedly has infuriated Prince
Charles by asking the heir to the throne to participate
in a television documentary about Charles' love life, including
his failed marriage to Princess Diana and his longtime romance
with Camilla Parker Bowles.
The Prince of Wales was "taken aback" by
his younger brother's proposal and so appalled that he could
barely speak, British newspapers reported said. "I cannot
believe the audacity of the man," he was quoted
as telling friends.
Charles reportedly forbade Edward, the Earl of Wessex,
from approaching any of his friends, and Parker Bowles was
said to be equally dismissive.
Edward owns a film company, Ardent Productions, which is
making a 13-part series on the royal family for the Los Angeles-based
E! entertainment network.
According to the London Times, Edward made the request to
his brother in a telephone conversation in late 2001 - after
Edward had already been rebuffed for trying to film Charles'
son Prince William at St. Andrews University in Scotland.
At the time, there was already a Buckingham Palace request
to leave the young student alone. St. James's Palace publicly
criticized Edward after the attempt.
The relationship between the brothers had been improving
after Edward's wife Sophie was rushed to the hospital for
an ectopic pregnancy last month. But Edward's latest
plans are said to have set them back again.
A friend of Prince Charles told the Times: "We were
all taken aback by this request from Prince Edward."
The Earl of Wessex has often clashed with his older brother
over his apparent willingness to exploit his royal lineage
for commercial gain.
Prince Edward's Ardent Productions is said be as much as
.5 million in debt, and is relying on worldwide sales and
a 5,000 commission for the television series A-Z
on Royalty to improve its economic outlook.
Edward reportedly pitched the series as a "behind-the-scenes"
look at the royal family, and was expected to include an episode
on Prince Charles, his marriage to the late Princess Diana
and relationship with Parker Bowles as a guarantee of good
ratings.
Edward hoped to meet these expectations because Charles'
relationship with Parker Bowles had been so well-documented.
He reportedly wanted to use excerpts from Diana's confessional
interview with Martin Bashir on BBC's Panorama, in which the
princess alluded to problems in her marriage to Charles.
Charles himself admitted to having committed adultery
during a 1994 television interview with Jonathan Dimbleby.
But Charles bitterly regrets that TV interview, reported The
Times, and his friends have been banned from speaking to cameras
since then.
A-Z on Royalty is now being regarded as something of a joke,
reported The Guardian. So far, Prince Philip, the Duke
of Edinburgh, is the only member of the royal family to agree
to appear in the series, due to be broadcast later this year.
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