Prince of people’s hearts...
Not a hint of Royal reserve as emotional Charles comforts relatives of Balkans war dead
THIS is the touching moment when the Prince of Wales reached out to comfort the relatives of people still missing after the brutal Balkan wars of the 1990s.
The normally reserved Prince did not try to hide his emotions yesterday as he met the relatives of the 1,668 victims unaccounted for.
Charles was visiting the Kosovan city of Prizren on the last day of a five-day tour to the Balkans, and used an appearance at a special service of commemoration to appeal for reconciliation and forgiveness.
He said: ‘I listened this morning to some of the families who have lost their loved ones – missing persons. I know there are so many still in this country. They asked me if I could help, I wish I could do more.
‘There is so much unnecessary death and destruction around the world. We see it all the time now in the Middle East. It is utterly heartbreaking. It is utterly pointless. Yet now we have an ideal opportunity to rebuild bridges.’
Charles said the murder of his great-uncle Lord Mountbatten by the IRA in 1979 meant he could understand a little of what the relatives had gone through. He said: ‘I remember at the time feeling intense anger as an immediate reaction but then I very quickly realised that revenge is not the thing. It is actually reconciliation and forgiveness.
‘I understand the appalling agonies, the dreadful experiences, the pain, but in order for countries which have been through such utter horror to recover, that has to be part of building the new foundation.’
The Prince was accompanied on the trip by the Duchess of Cornwall, who wept as she met rape victims and heard harrowing stories of the brutal attacks they suffered at the hands of Serbian police officers during the conflict.
Camilla met the women privately in Kosovan president Atifete Jahjaga’s office in the capital Pristina.