London - Buckingham Palace yesterday rebutted claims of a rift between the Duke of Edinburgh and his son, the Prince of Wales. A palace spokeswoman denied the duke had labelled the heir to the British throne as "precious, extravagant and lacking in the dedication and discipline he will need if he is to make a good king".
The duke's spokeswoman said: "The duke said no such thing. These are remarks made by a reporter and have been wrongly attributed to the duke.
"The duke did not talk to the reporter and therefore the views expressed are surmised and speculation."