13.01.03
What
would they do now? - Max Clifford on how today's monarchy might
handle Prince John
As
the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ prepares to screen the dramatic story of Prince John, the
disabled son of King George V and Queen Mary, Radio Times asks how
the current British monarchy would cope with a similar offspring
in contemporary society.
"An
epileptic and autistic prince would give the royals the chance to
show they are human and essentially the same as us," Max Clifford
tells Radio Times this week. "As an epileptic myself, I would
say to the Queen that it's a chance to show that you are a normal,
loving and genuinely caring family. Because, let's face it, most
of this country, especially the younger generation, think they're
from a different planet."
Stephen
Poliakoff's epic dramatisation, titled The Lost Prince, describes
the official silence and secrecy that surrounded the short life
of the prince, who died in 1919 at the age of only 13. In a time
where autism and epilepsy were hidden, Prince John spent almost
his entire life sequestered with his devoted nanny Lalla in 'safe
houses' on the royal estates. Had he lived longer, he would have
been the present Queen's Uncle.
However,
PR guru and columnist, Mark Borkowski, whilst agreeing with Clifford's
take on the benefits a modern day Prince John could provide the
royal family with, disagrees with his views about the current head
of the monarchy. He tells Radio Times: "The royal family, to
a certain extent, are very human and the Queen is modernising herself
all the time."
Clifford
however, who admits to Radio Times that this is a story very close
to his heart, says: "If a child with epilepsy was born into
the royal family in 2003 it would be an amazing opportunity to change
opinion and enlighten people about an illness that is still very
much a taboo subject. So what was a negative for George V could
be a huge positive for the current royal family."
Notes
to Editors:
This interview is taken from next week's issue of Radio Times, on-sale
this Tuesday, January 14th and covering programmes for the period
18 - 24 January.
The
Lost Prince is available from Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Worldwide on video at Β£12.99
and DVD at Β£15.99 from all good retailers.
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