Respect for Kent
From Mr Chapman Pincher Sir: I write in support of Simon Heifer's tribute to Prince Michael of Kent (A prince among men', 29 June).
In the late 1980s, before the collapse of the Soviet Union, I was approached by a recently retired colonel who had served in the Intelligence Department of the Defence Ministry. He invited me to attend a meeting of a secret organisation which had been set up to support the national effort devoted to Defence Intelligence, which was then in danger of being cut by defence savings. It turned out to be a wellattended dinner held at the Cavalry Club, where I met retired officers of MI6, MI5 and GCHQ. There were also distinguished representatives from American intelligence agencies.
The chairman of the proceedings was Prince Michael, whose involvement in intelligence affairs was new to me. It transpired that he had served with distinction in military intelligence and, in that respect, was held in the highest regard by everyone I met. As a guest, I was seated next to the Prince, so we had a long conversation which helped me to understand the reasons for that respect.
With the end of the Cold War, the organisation no longer exists, as far as I know, and, as Simon Heffer reported, the Russian-speaking Prince is now mainly involved in promoting Anglo-Russian friendship. My purpose is simply to point out that those anti-royalists who are targeting the Prince as some brainless hanger-on could not be wider of the mark.
Chapman Pincher
Kintbury, Berkshire
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