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Journey through the Middle East
It would have been so nice: Prince Charles (64) on state visit in the Middle East delighted with language skills in Arabic . That was apparently the plan. But the Crown Prince, who speaks French fluently and even a little German, had not expected the complexity of the language.
At a reception in Quatar, the heir to the throne was asked, according to the "Mirror", if he would speak Arabic and revealed: "I tried to learn it, but then gave up, it goes in one ear and the other out again."
Dr. Mohammed bin Saleh al-Sada, Quatar Energy Minister, encouraged him: "It's never too late to learn."
Quite Prince Charles has not given up yet. He later reported that he had been studying Arabic with a tutor for six months and would continue to do so. Some time ago, Charles was already trying on Welsh - and failed.
The Orient, however, would fascinate him, said Charles. Even his relentless commitment to mediate between religions could be an incentive to learn Arabic - after all, Charles could then read the Koran.
