The Prince of Wales meets Muslim children with Yusuf
Islam, formerly Cat Stevens, during a visit to the Islamia
Primary School in Brent, London (Alan Hamilton writes).
Addressing pupils at the school yesterday, the Prince said
that the Islamic faith had much to teach an increasingly
secular Britain. Those with a firm sense of their own
culture were more likely to contribute to society, he
added. He was told, in return, that many of the school's
parents kept copies of his Oxford University speech in
which he called for a better understanding of Islam and
expressed his wishto be a "defender of faiths".
Islamia was founded in 1981 by the pop singer Cat
Stevens after he had converted to the Muslim faith and
changed his name to Yusuf Islam. After speaking with the
Prince, Mr Islam said: "He told me he was a Cat Stevens
fan. I think he has some of my albums."
~*~
Welsh 'insult' for Prince(Electronic Telegraph)
By Michael Smith
MEMBERS of the Welsh Assembly were accused yesterday of "insulting" the
Prince of Wales by refusing to have dinner with him.
The Prince invited all 60 assembly members to a dinner in Margam Park,
South Wales, tonight. But Labour members have decided that they would
rather hear a Neil Kinnock speech and Plaid Cymru members appear to have
decided to stay away on principle. St James's Palace officials were so
concerned by the lack of response that they asked the assembly's presiding
officer to try to persuade more members to attend.
All nine of the Tory members and five of the six Liberal Democrats will
attend, but only eight of the 28 Labour members and as few as three of Plaid
Cymru's 17 members will be there. David Davies, the Conservative chief
whip, described the response as "a gross insult and an utter disgrace".
Labour said that the dinner clashed with a speech in Cardiff by Mr Kinnock
to mark the party's centenary. A spokesman said: "It is the centrepiece of our
celebrations." Plaid Cymru said: "It was decided that it was a matter for
members' individual consciences whether to attend."
St James's Palace said: "The Prince is delighted that so many can come. He
understands that these are busy people and if they have prior engagements,
that is perfectly understandable."
The Prince declared himself a fan of Cat Stevens, the Seventies pop idol,
during his visit to the Islamia primary school in Kilburn, north London. He met
the former star, who became a Muslim convert, Yusuf Islam, and founded the
school. Yusuf said: "I think he has some of my albums."
~*~
Royal school hit by sex abuse case(BBC News)
Swiss holiday for Duchess of York and daughters
The headmaster of the Swiss school where the
Duke and Duchess of York plan to send their
daughters has been arrested for alleged child
sex abuse.
A spokesman said: "The allegations are a
matter for Mr McDonald and the Swiss
prosecutors."
Oxford-educated Mr McDonald was a
contemporary of Prince Andrew when they
were pupils at the prestigious Gordonstoun
public school.
Glittering start for Tate
Modern(BBC News)
A spectacular light show illuminated the landmark
Pop stars, politicians and notables from the art
world have helped launch London's new
landmark art gallery in style.
Other guests at the gallery dubbed the
'Cathedral of Cool' included ex-Formula One
champion Damon Hill, artists Gilbert and
George, Turner Prize winner Steve McQueen
and Sir Anthony Caro, who designed the
nearby Millennium Bridge.
The Queen's visit had been shrouded in
security amid reports that anarchists who took
part in the May Day riots were threatening to
target her.
Earlier this week Culture Secretary Chris Smith
visited the building and said: "The development
of Tate Modern will stand out very much as
the jewel in the crown of a very precious
moment of advance for the cultural life of
London and the nation."
Prince goes pop to
praise school(BBC News)
The Prince speaks in favour of multi-faith communities
Prince Charles has declared himself a fan of
the 70s pop idol Cat Stevens, who he met at
the opening of Britain's first state-funded
Muslim school.
The former singer dismayed fans when he
denounced his pop career in 1977, auctioning
his guitars and gold records for Islamic
charities and changing his name.
Richard McDonald, headteacher of exclusive
Aiglon College, has resigned from his job.
Swiss police said Mr McDonald had been
remanded in custody and a full investigation
was under way.
A Buckingham palace spokesman said the Yorks
would still be sending their two daughers,
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, to the
£19,500-a-year boarding school.
Swiss police say the
alleged sex abuse was
not connected with the
school, based in the
Alpine ski resort of
Chesieres-Villars.
And they say there is
no link with a sexual
assault on three pupils
two months ago.
The schoolchildren
reported that an intruder crept into their
bedroom and attacked them with
anaesthetising spray before raping one and
sexaully assaulting the other.
Resignation
It was reported on Monday that he had left his
job. The decision was attributed to personal
problems.
The Duke and Duchess announced in February
that their elder daughter Beatrice, 11, had
passed her entrance exam to the school.
She is expected to take up her place in
September with her younger sister Eugenie,
10, following a year later.
~*~
Prime Minister Tony Blair and John Lennon's
widow Yoko Ono were among the 4,000 guests
who streamed into the £134m Tate Modern on
Thursday evening for a high profile opening
party.
Earlier in the day, the former power station on
London's South Bank had gained a royal seal of
approval, when the Queen declared it officially
open.
Many visitors allowed to preview the new
gallery have been in awe of it proportions and
lavished it with praise. It is a far cry from the
controversy surrounding the troubled
Millennium Dome.
Mr Blair, one of the first guests to arrive, was
given a private view of the renowned
collection by Tate director Sir Nicholas Serota.
Pet Shop Boys singer Neil Tennant, a former
Turner Prize judge, said he had been given a
sneak preview two weeks before, but had to
leave because the fire alarm went off.
"But I think it's wonderful. It's an amazing
space," he said.
Former art student turned pop star Jarvis
Cocker, who recently helped judge the Becks
Futures Awards arts prize, was more reserved
with his praise.
He said: "I think it seems alright. It's a good
idea in theory."
Star-studded evening
From the fashion world came Alexander
McQueen and Zandra Rhodes, with her
traditional shocking pink hair and hard to miss
outfit.
The exterior of the
building was lit with
lasers and lights, while
a permanent beacon
illuminated the gallery's
striking chimney.
Security was tight for
the opening night, for
which invitations were
supposedly changing
hands for up to £1,000
a time.
She viewed exhibits and met artists, staff and
benefactors at the gallery.
Tate Modern will
introduce the public -
who get their first look
on Friday - to many
works which have been
in storage for years
due to lack of
exhibition space at the
Tate in Millbank.
Thanks to a
government subsidy,
entry will now be free
of charge.
At the end of 1992 trustees of the Tate
decided to split the collection in two. British
works stayed at the gallery in London's
Millbank, now known as Tate Britain, and
international pieces moved to Tate Modern.
Giant spider
The converted building,
designed by Swiss
architects Jacques
Herzog and Pierre de
Meuron, is set to rival
Bilbao's Guggenheim,
New York's Museum of
Modern Art and Paris's
Pompidou Centre.
It features classic
international works
from the past century
including pieces by
Warhol, Lichtenstein and Pollock.
Notables include one of Yves Klein's famous
blue panels, Dali's Lobster Telephone, Picasso's
Nude Woman With Necklace, The Snail by
Matisse and Andre's notorious strip of bricks
Equivalent VIII.
The centrepiece of the
building itself is the
colossal grey-painted
Turbine Hall which at
500ft runs almost the
gallery's entire length.
It will house specially
commissioned displays,
the first by 89-year-old
artist Louise Bourgeois,
who has created three
30ft towers and a giant
spider which stares down at visitors.
~*~
The former pop star, now in his early 50s,
turned his back on the music business more
than 20 years ago, converting to the Muslim
faith and taking the name Yusuf Islam.
The Prince also praised the former musician's
new vocation as a Muslim educationalist when
he visited the school he founded in North-West
London.
The Prince told the children at the Islamia
Primary School: "You are ambassadors for a
sometimes much misunderstood faith.
"I believe that Islam has
much to teach
increasingly secular
societies like ours in
Britain."
The pupils welcomed
the Prince with a
religious song written by the former pop star,
before Yusuf Islam gave him a tour of the
school.
He met pupils, saw displays of work and visited
the computer room before taking off his shoes
to join the school assembly for readings,
prayers and speeches.
Yusuf Islam said: "The Prince's visit was
important because it shows that Muslims are
accepted in this country."
He added: "He told me he was a Cat Stevens
fan. I think he has some of my albums."
The exclusively Muslim school is now so
popular that it has a waiting list of 2,000
applicants.
It was awarded grant-maintained status in
January 1998, opting to become voluntary
aided in September 1999.
He was one of the most popular singers of his
generation, with songs such as Where Do The
Children Play?, Matthew and Son, Moonshadow
and Tea for the Tillerman, enjoyed worldwide.
His "hard-line" attitude to his faith is said to
have softened in recent years, and he has
shown a renewed interest in singing and
songwriting.
He joked about his earlier pop career and the
royalty cheques that still help to fund his
charity work, saying: "I'm part of royalty,
mate, royalty is part of me."
During his tour, the Prince also visited the
nearby London Inter Faith Centre which seeks
to promote understanding between different
faiths.