Prince’s Essays Published

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30602, 19 November 1964, Page 17

Prince’s Essays Published

(SZ.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) LONDON, Nov. 18. A Buckingham Palace spokesman said tonight it was “highly regrettable” if essays written by Princes Charles had been published in the German magazine “Der stern.”

“If these reports of publication in a foreign magazine are true,” said the statement, “it is highly regrettable that the private essays of a schoolboy should have been

published at all in this way.” The Hamburg weekly magazine yesterday published what it called “authentic” essays written by the 16-year-old Prince. The magazine said it bought the texts from Mr Terence Smith, aged 30, a director of Mercury Press Agency of St Helen’s, Lancashire, after the originals had been taken from Mr Smith by Scotland Yard detectives. Mr Smith said last week he had issued writs against two police officials asking return of an exercise book containing material which he believed had been written by the Prince, who had been attending Gordonstoun school in Scotland for two years. Mr Smith, who said Prince

’ Charles had willingly allowed • the book to leave his possest sion, told Reuter last week > that copies of the essays had 1 been sold to “about 14” fort eign publications. Mr Smith said tonight that i he had withdrawn his interest > in the essays “and I have not ■ sold them to anyone, although i I understand that since then i they have been bought by a number of overseas publicai tions.” He said he had not had any contact with the magazine “Der Stern” or its representatives. Mr Smith added: “There is nothing in the essays or in the way they left Gordonstoun which reflects the slightest discredit on Prince Charles.”