Defender of the Faith

THE HEIR to the British throne has often made statements, on subjects ranging from architecture to nanotechnology, that cause a frisson of disapproving reaction, to the effect that he is going  beyond the prerogatives of a constitutional monarchy, which for good reason are narrowly defined. But assuming he has been correctly quoted, as comparing Vladimir Putin with Adolf Hitler, the latest row over an edgy royal remark is rather unexpected, when set against his stated views on religion, history and the world.

In 1992, an ultra-conservative Russian weekly, Den, approvingly quoted Prince Charles as saying that in a world of profligacy and decadence, the only country where he saw some regeneration was Russia. Again, he may or may not have been accurately cited, but that remark was more of a piece with his stated views and interests. The future head of the Church of England has a deep interest in the mystical and aesthetic side of both Christianity and Islam, and in particular in Orthodox Christianity, Russian and otherwise, and in Sufism.