Charles cosies up to David Miliband (but not Corbyn)
HAILED as the King Over the Water by Tony Blair’s dwindling band of supporters in the Labour Party, David Miliband seems to have found an ally in the heir to the throne.
I can disclose that Prince Charles has summoned the former Foreign Secretary to his London residence, Clarence House, for private talks.
The meeting last Wednesday is likely to provoke much comment in Westminster, as the Prince of Wales has still not had a tete-a-tete with Jeremy Corbyn, who won the Labour leadership by a landslide five months ago, and has no plans to do so.
‘Charles got to know Miliband quite well when he was Foreign Secretary and they struck up a warm relationship,’ says my man in Whitehall.
The Prince could be forgiven for not rushing to meet Corbyn, a staunch Republican who has made no secret of his desire to abolish the monarchy.
In November, Corbyn reportedly refused to kneel before the Queen and kiss her hand, as tradition dictates, when he was sworn in as a member of the Privy Council, the historic group that advises monarchs.
And when Prince William married Kate Middleton, Corbyn encouraged TV viewers to watch the Kremlinfunded Russia Today channel instead. ‘Free of Royal Wedding,’ he explained to his social media followers.
After Miliband’s brother Ed won the Labour leadership in 2010, David took up the £400,000-a-year post of chief executive at the International Rescue Committee (IRC) charity in New York.
However, David has refused to rule out a return to Westminster, saying last year: ‘I hope that I can use my voice now and again in the British scene. In terms of what I do next, I’ll have to take some time to think about that.’
Last autumn, it was reported that Labour moderates were secretly working for a dramatic Miliband comeback ahead of the 2020 General Election.
A Clarence House spokesman says Charles received David in his capacity as boss of IRC, which has been helping Syrian refugees. The spokesman tells me: ‘Mr Corbyn has not requested a meeting with His Royal Highness.’