The Times (London) today runs a glowing leading article praising the diplomatic skills of Prince Charles and the unaffected “sincerity and grace” of the Duchess of Cornwall during their visit to the Middle East:

” … on his present tour of the Middle East and India, Prince Charles has shown that, in areas where he is engaged and can speak with authority, he can prove extraordinarily effective in conveying the right message at the right time.”

Praise indeed. Oh that the current political establishment extended him the same compliments.

Both in Egypt and in Saudi Arabia, the Prince has voiced the well-founded concern in Britain that Islam appears to be floundering in the modern world. “I think we need to recover the depth, the subtlety, the generosity of imagination, the respect for wisdom that so marked Islam in its great ages”, he told Saudi ministers, clerics and students …

The Prince argued against a rigid interpretation of religious texts by praising the “great ages of faith”. He upheld the example of Muslim scholars who “had grasped the meaning of God’s word for all time and its meaning for this time”.

He also used a visit to a Saudi technical college to demonstrate his experience in inculcating a greater respect for work among “a gilded, disaffected youth”, culled from years of running the Prince’s Trust in Britain.

The Times also praises the Duchess for her natural ease of manner: “Two things have aided him on this tour: his own more relaxed manner after his marriage, and the gift the Duchess of Cornwall has shown for putting at ease those she meets. This visit … to two countries in the Middle East where suspicion and radicalism threaten to undermine friendly relations, has been handled with imagination and aplomb.”

Now we can’t vouch for this story but it does have a ring of truth. According to Katie Nicholl in the UK Mail on Sunday, Kate Middleton is whisking Prince William off on an Easter break to the Caribbean where she hopes the soldier Prince will pop the question.

The journalist quotes an unnamed friend. “This will be the first occasion for a while they have spent time together alone and Kate really thinks a proposal could happen.

“She has definitely spoken about marriage with her girlfriends. She and William have been going out for more than three years and she is thinking about the future, like any girl her age would do.

“She’s really missed him while he’s been at Sandhurst and is looking forward to them spending some quality time together in the Caribbean. They have a lot to catch up on, as they have been apart since January. Kate wants to discuss their future but she is planning her moves carefully and is waiting for the right moment.”

We have no idea who this friend is, but spilling the beans on Kate’s strategy is likely to do more harm than good. Men have a tendency to hang fire when they know a girl is pushing them to propose.

Prince Charles and Camilla in Egypt.

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were out enjoying the 95F heat of Egypt yesterday as they strolled arm in arm around the oasis town of Siwa.

Overnight they stayed in a traditional Berber clay and wood hut at the Adrere Amellel Eco-Lodge where there is no electricty.

Earlier they watched as dozens of women sewed embroidered jeans destined for Italian fashion designer Ermanno Scervino, and to sell at £150 a pair ($260).

Camilla asked: “Are these all going to Italy? They’re so brilliant. My daughter [Laura] would love them.” She then asked to buy a pair, size 12, but was apparently bustled away as a supervisor asked for their address.

“A rather large palace in London,” someone shouted. Looks like Laura Parker Bowles will have pay London prices after all.

Finally, it’s over. The errant boyfriend, American Paolo Liuzzo, 24, has been dumped by a shattered Princess Beatrice, 17.

The story so far: Liuzzo received three years probation after a nightclub brawl which ended in a death. He was lucky that the original manslaughter charge was reduced to assault. Now the New York socialite has been taken back to court after breaching the order by going on a skiing holiday with Beatrice and the Duke and Duchess of York. Reports suggested he faced a two-and-a-half-year jail sentence.

He walked free last week, as a judge in Massachusetts lengthened his probation by a further six months. Judge John McCann warned him, though: “There is always the possibility of incarceration in the future if there is a further violation.”

Liuzzo’s attorney said: “He is shocked, but relieved he is not going to jail. He will abide by all his restrictions.”

Now he’s been dumped by his shaken teenage girlfriend. Perhaps in future, Beatrice’s mother, Sarah, Duchess of York, will refrain from taking her daughter to dubious nightclubs “on the pull”?