Charles' privacy case back in court

LONDON, Feb 22 (Reuters) Prince Charles' legal battle against Associated Newspapers over his right to privacy will return to the High Court today after yesterday's hearing focused on the Prince's self image as a political dissident.

Charles launched legal action against the publishers after its newspaper the Mail on Sunday printed his private diaries.

Entitled, ''The Handover of Hong Kong'' or ''The Great Chinese Takeaway,'' the diaries covered the 1997 handover of the British colony of Hong Kong to China.

They were copied by a former member of staff and given to the Mail on Sunday and published in November 2005, shortly after a visit to Britain of current Chinese President Hu Jintao.

Charles is suing for breach of copyright and confidentiality in a case aimed at determining whether members of the British royal family are entitled to the same level of privacy as other members of the public.

But yesterday the case focused on Charles' political thoughts after his former assistant private secretary Mark Bolland said Charles had boycotted a 1999 Chinese embassy banquet out of respect for the Dalai Lama because he sees himself as a ''dissident''.

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