Prince Charles will not attend Beijing Olympics

By Andrew Hough

LONDON (Reuters) - Prince Charles will not be attending the Beijing Olympics, his office confirmed on Monday, a move that was hailed by pro-Tibet campaigners but labelled "unfair" by Games organisers.

The Prince of Wales is a long-standing supporter of Tibet and its spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.

In 2004, he hosted a reception at his St James's Palace residence in honour of the Dalai Lama, who has been in exile since an uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.

The prince, who infamously wrote in his diaries during the 1997 handover of Hong Kong that senior Chinese officials were "appalling old waxworks", revealed his Olympic decision in a letter to the Free Tibet organisation.

In the letter, his deputy private secretary, Clive Alderton, said Charles would not attend the opening ceremony.

"As you know, His Royal Highness has long taken a close interest in Tibet and indeed has been pleased to meet His Holiness the Dalai Lama on several occasions," Alderton wrote, according to a Free Tibet spokesman, who declined to release a copy of the letter.

He said Alderton then added that the prince would not be attending the opening ceremony but did not give a reason.

A spokeswoman for the Prince's office, Clarence House, confirmed he would not be attending the Olympics but declined to elaborate.