THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Prince of Wales risked controversy on Monday as he laid a wreath at the tomb of a tyrannical former ruler of Morocco.
The Prince and the Duchess of Cornwall arrived in Rabat amid continuing protests against the country's undemocratic regime, and paid their respects at the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, where the late king and his son Hassan II are buried.
The reign of Hassan II, who died in 1999, was marred by the deaths of hundreds of people who protested against his regime, including more than 300 people who were killed during demonstrations and 174 who died in custody.
Morocco is in the middle of a "peaceful revolution" after the present king, Mohammed VI, promised to give up his executive powers, including the right to choose the prime minister and other ministers, following widespread street protests in the past two months.
Fouad Abdelmoumni, an economist and pro-democracy campaigner, suggested the timing of the Prince's visit to Hassan II's tomb was far from ideal.
He said: "Some people would think that it's not the best time for him to do this kind of thing, and not the best place to visit."
One of the leaders of the protests, who asked not to be named, said: "Hassan's human rights record was appalling and the families of people who were killed during his rule will not be happy with Prince Charles laying a wreath at his tomb, though I don't think the wide majority of Moroccans will have strong opinions about it."
Despite concerns before the visit that the Prince and the Duchess could be confronted by protesters during their three-day stay, the only time they saw demonstrators was when they drove past a group of teachers camped outside the education ministry demanding better pay and conditions. » | Gordon Rayner, Rabat | Monday, April 04, 2011
EXAMINER.COM: Charles and Camilla arrive in Morocco, meet King Mohammad VI » | Megan Knight | Royal News Examiner | Tuesday, April 05, 2011
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