Prince Charles wife Camilla criticizes UK Govt's treatment of Gurkhas

London, May 6 (ANI): The Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla Parker Bowles, has backed the campaign against the Government's treatment of the Gurkhas.

According to The Telegraph, British actress Joanna Lumley, who is spearheading the campaign for better treatment of Gurkha soldiers, told MPs that she had received a private letter of support from a member of the Royal Family.After the hearing Miss Lumley denied the letter was from either the Prince of Wales - who is Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Gurkha Rifles - or the Duke of Edinburgh. She also declined to discuss which other member of the Royal family had sent the letter. However, the Daily Telegraph understands that the letter, sent last year, was from the wife of the future King.

The Duchess's highly unusual intervention in the political arena was disclosed as Gordon Brown faced fresh criticism over his handling of the issue from Miss Lumley, who told MPs that the Prime Minister had ignored repeated requests for a private meeting to defuse the explosive issue last year.

Brown suffered a humiliating Commons defeat last week when Labour MPs voted with the Opposition to condemn immigration rules that curb the number of Gurkha pensioners allowed to settle in the UK.

The vote followed a growing chorus of public and political anger against Government refusals to allow Gurkhas who retired before 1997 to settle freely in Britain.

Miss Lumley told MPs on Tuesday that she had been delighted at the level of support her campaign had enjoyed.

She said: "The Royal Family are not allowed to be included, but I've personally had a letter of support."

Lumley and her husband Stephen Barlow, the composer, are close to the Prince and the Duchess and are regular visitors to Clarence House and Highgrove. (ANI)