Tories’ party planner backs scandal charity

SAVE the Children is having a torrid time of late. Sir alan Parker, the charity’s international chairman, faced calls to quit at a recent board meeting over the failure to deal with allegations of improper behaviour against women employees by former chief executive Justin Forsyth.

Parker, according to an internal charity report, was deemed too close to Forsyth, who used to work at Downing Street for Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. The controversy cost Forsyth his new job at Unicef last month.

But Princess Dora loewenstein, a trustee of the charity and an organiser of the Tories’ muchderided Black and White parties, insists the problems have been exaggerated. Faced with the prospect of unsold tickets and cancellations for the charity’s planned gala night of hits at london’s roundhouse in May, the princess has sent a handwritten letter to the charity’s supporters.

‘Save the Children needs your help more than ever before. They have faced, in my opinion, unfair and disproportionate challenges of late which threaten the very core of their work. We must stand resolutely behind them,’ says the princess, whose father, Prince rupert, used to manage the rolling Stones’ business interests.

however, the heartfelt letter has not gone down well in all quarters. one former supporter of the charity told me: ‘I’m sorry the princess thinks criticism of a cover-up over the mistreatment of women is disproportionate. She should withdraw the letter, cancel the event, which is inappropriate, and Sir alan should consider his position.’