By Peter Allen, Paris, 16 Apr 2011 - The Telegraph
Amis, the 61-year-old author of bestsellers such as The Rachel Papers and Money, portrays the Queen as a woman who never listens and describes the Prince of Wales as having a laugh "like a pig's snore".
He recounts a series of meetings with members of the Royal family and also attacks the forthcoming wedding in an edition of the influential French magazine, Le Nouvel Observateur.
"There's indeed something which doesn't work in this story," says Amis, referring to the big day on April 29th.
"One can't, in the era of media supremacy, make ones children go through everything which a wedding like this entails: not only the loss of ones private life; but also the sacrifice of oneself pure and simple. "
"The royal family is so spied upon, so scrutinised by the media that the life of these children becomes quite unbearable.
Amis suggests in the interview that Prince William and Prince Harry could avoid attention if they remained single.
He says: "Harry and William rebelled some eight or nine years ago and they effectively let people know that they weren’t going to sacrifice their lives anymore for the crown.
"They were probably told that it's the oldest institution in Europe and that they had to preserve it by all means possible. The Princes finally gave in. But how can we, today, ask for so much from a human being?"
Asked if other people will support the wedding with sincerity, Amis replies: "Without doubt. The atmosphere is going to be irrational, very British in a sense.
Usually, when the crowd descends on the street its to find windows to break. Now, the crowd will be standing outside passively. Its difficult not to be moved by this enthusiasm. Its difficult not to think about it in a positive way.
Full story at The Telegraph.
No comments:
Post a Comment