European royal families have pledged their support for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games following Prince Charles’ announcement he would boycott the event.
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Denmark’s Crown Prince Frederik has revealed he will definitely be attending the games, despite reportedly being urged to follow Charles’ decision to snub the opening ceremony in protest against China’s deplorable human rights record in Tibet.
A royal court spokesman confirmed to Denmark’s Copenhagen Post newspaper: “Denmark’s Royal Family has a tradition of participating at the Olympic Games, and the crown prince’s participation at this year’s games is a demonstration of his interest in sport and his support for the Danish athletes.”
In addition, Norway’s King Harald, Queen Sonja and Crown Prince Haakon will also attend the summer games.
A royal email printed in Norway’s Aftenposten newspaper read: “The Royal Highnesses, the king and queen, and the crown prince will represent Norway at the Olympic Games in Beijing, but the programme is not set yet.
“While respect for Human Rights is important, the Norwegian authorities are dealing with the problem through an ongoing dialogue with the Chinese.”
Charles – who is an ardent supporter of the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s independent spiritual leader – confirmed he would not be attending this summer’s opening ceremony of the sporting event earlier this week.
A spokesman for the Free Tibet Campaign, which opposes the Chinese occupation of the Himalyan country, said: “We welcome the fact that the Prince of Wales will not be endorsing China’s ongoing human rights’ abuses in Tibet by attending the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games and we are calling on other high-profile public figures and politicians to follow suit.”
The Beijing 2008 Olympics will run from August 8 to 24.
