Prince Charles welcomed the Dalai Lama to his home yesterday (22.05.08).
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The Tibetan exile is in the UK on an 11 day visit to highlight human rights abuse in his home country and spent an hour with the prince at Clarence House.
It is not the first time the pair have met, following private meetings in 1999 and 2001, and at a reception Charles held for the Tibetan community in 2004, which the monk attended.
A spokesperson for the prince wouldn’t comment on his discussions with the monk except to say they concerned “spiritual issues”.
A royal source said: “The Dalai Lama specifically requested that he meet the prince while he is over here and of course he was delighted to.”
Matt Whitticase, of the Free Tibet Campaign praised the prince, saying:”Prince Charles has always been a steadfast supporter of Tibet, not just as a friend of the Dalai Lama but through his work for political prisoners.”
Yesterday (21.05.08), it was revealed the Dalai Lama had not been invited to meet with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. He is reportedly wary of offending Chinese officials following protests against the Beijing Olympics last month.
Both Brown’s predecessors, Tony Blair and John Major, met the spiritual leader during their terms at 10 Downing Street.
