In a move that will surely bring its fair share of controversy, Prince Charles has likened Russian leader Vladimir Putin's behaviour to that of Adolf Hitler.
The Prince is reported to have made the comment to a survivor of the Holocaust recently in Canada, and it was picked up by media. According to The Daily Mail, he was speaking with Marienne Ferguson, who fled to Canada from Gdansk with her family when she was 13-yeas-old to escape persecution.
The royal and Putin are due to meet in a few weeks at the D-Day commemorations on June 6th, and this well-publicised criticism of the ongoing situation in Ukraine will no doubt make relations even more strained. However, Charles' point could also be seen as a criticism of the Western leaders who have been unable to intervene, and Hilary Clinton also pointed out the similarity in the two situations a few weeks back when speaking on the matter, so he is not alone in expressing his concern.
The response from both the Royal Family's representatives and politicians when asked about the matter has been to make the point that it was a private conversation, and according to The Telegraph, Deputy PM Nick Clegg said that Charles should be "entitled to his views". Reaction in Russia has been less favourable, with Russian news daily Moskovskij Komsomolets stating that the comment risks inciting an international scandal.
Via The Daily Mail and The Telegraph
