Britain’s Prince Charles spoke of his "anguish" over the death of his beloved uncle Lord Mountbatten yesterday (30.10.14).
The 65-year-old royal and his wife Duchess Camilla showed their support for Colombia’s peace process at the Peace and Reconciliation Centre in Bogota and Charles recalled his own devastation when his uncle was killed in a bomb blast in Ireland in 1979.
He said: "It is an immense tragedy that violence has cast such a long shadow across the whole of this remarkable country for the past five decades. Many of you here today will have experienced unimaginable suffering, and our hearts go out to you as you struggle to come to terms with all that has happened to you and your loved ones.
"I suspect that many of you will probably not know that my own much-loved great uncle, Lord Mountbatten, and members of his family including one of my godsons were murdered in Northern Ireland just over 30 years ago. So I feel I do understand something of the bewildering and soul-destroying anguish that so many of you have had to endure."
Charles spoke as government representatives and members of the FARC revolutionary group have been meeting to try to end conflict between paramilitary organisations, as well as security forces, and said he was hopeful the country will be able to find "a lasting and durable peace".
He added: "It is my earnest hope and prayer that Colombia will soon find a lasting and durable peace. Of course, as we have learnt in the UK from the Northern Ireland peace process, and the Good Friday Agreement, building conditions for peace takes time – and there are pitfalls along the way.
"Great political and moral leadership is required from all parties to the conflict; and from society at large, which must also strongly feel the need for truth, reconciliation and forgiveness.
"As one who has himself experienced the intense despair caused by the consequences of violence, it is my fervent hope that Colombians might find the strength to continue cultivating a commitment to peace and reconciliation in their own hearts. For this must surely be the key to a lasting solution in Colombia."
Prince Charles recalls anguish over Lord Mountbatten’s death
