Charlie's Angles

Prince Charles sends veiled message to White House on climate change

Britain's Prince Charles has made it clear he views global warming as the direst problem facing the world community. The $6 million question has been: Would he say as much to the notoriously intransigent George Bush during a state dinner this week at the White House? You could cut the diplomatic tension with a fine silver butter knife! Well, he did -- but in a distinctly British way: slightly veiled, scrupulously polite, but unmistakably sharp. Said Charles at the conclusion of his remarks to the 100 or so assembled White House guests, "I need hardly say that so many people throughout the world look to the United States of America for a lead on the most crucial issues that face our planet and, indeed, the lives of our grandchildren. Truly, the burdens of the world rest on your shoulders." Hard to say if the message got through to a leader who famously doesn't "do nuance," but for an upper-crust Brit it was practically chest beating. Boo-yah, old chap!