EXCLUSIVE: 'Putin is behaving just like Hitler', says Charles. Prince's controversial verdict on Russian leader's invasion of Ukraine

Prince Charles likened Putin's behaviour in Ukraine to that of Hitler

Royal made comment to a Jewish woman who fled Holocaust

He said: 'And now Putin is doing just about the same as Hitler’

Prince Charles and Camilla are on a short Royal tour of Canada

Deputy PM Nick Clegg says prince is 'free to express himself'



Prince Charles has sensationally likened Vladimir Putin to Adolf Hitler.

In a withering verdict on the actions of the Russian president in Ukraine, he told a woman who lost relatives in the Nazi Holocaust: ‘And now Putin is doing just about the same as Hitler.’



The prince’s extraordinary intervention is certain to cause international controversy.

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Strained diplomacy: Vladimir Putin is to snub Prince Charles at next month's ceremony to mark the 70th anniversary of D-Day after the royal likened the Russian president to Adolf Hitler It is likely to be seen as a criticism of the West for failing to confront Mr Putin over his seizure of Crimea. The annexation was the first by a major power in Europe since 1945. Observers have compared the crisis in Ukraine with Hitler’s takeovers of Czechoslovakia and Poland. RELATED ARTICLES Previous

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Prince Charles, Camilla greeted in Halifax Share this article Share They have pointed to the similar use of disguised special forces to stir up tensions in disputed areas. Controversial: Prince Charles made his off-the-cuff comment about the situation in Ukraine while on a Royal tour of Canada, surrounded by media Royal comment: Prince Charles likened Putin's actions in Ukraine to that of Adolf Hitler in the 1930s



Charles, who is scheduled to meet Mr Putin at the D-Day commemorations in France on June 6, made his well-intentioned but unguarded comment during a visit to the Canadian Museum of Immigration in Halifax, Nova Scotia.



The prince is on a whistlestop tour of Canada with the Duchess of Cornwall – they have 41 engagements in just three and a half days.

On Monday, the pair paid a heartfelt tribute to Second World War veterans and their families over tea at the museum in Halifax’s docks.

Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall arrive in the rain at a Canadian Forces Base airport in Winnipeg



Prince Charles speaks with Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba Philip S. Lee, right, as Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall struggles with her umbrella

He was introduced to Marienne Ferguson, a museum volunteer who fled to Canada with her Jewish family when she was just 13.



The 78-year-old was born in what is now the Polish city of Gdansk, a key flashpoint in the Second World War.

A free city under the terms of the Versailles Treaty after the end of the Great War, it was seized by the Nazis on the first day of fighting in 1939.

Prince Charles signs a guestbook while flanked by Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Manitoba Lieutenant Governor Philip Lee (right) and Lee's wife Anita (left) at the Government House in Winnipeg

Prince Charles and his wife Camilla pose for a photo on the steps of Province House in Charlottetown

Prince Charles chats to choir singers from local churches in Charlottetown

Mrs Ferguson and her parents, two sisters and grandmother had managed to obtain permits to sail to Canada. But other members of her family failed to flee before the German army arrived.

Along with an estimated six hundred Jews from the city, they were sent to Nazi camps where they met their deaths.

Mrs Ferguson was given the chance to tell her incredible story to Charles as she showed him the museum’s exhibits.



At the end of the visit, and surrounded by media, Charles made his off-the-cuff comment about the situation in Ukraine.

Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, enjoys a cup of tea as she visits Prince Edward Home, a long-term care facility in Charlottetown

Prince Charles, pictured today with his wife Camilla, made the comments during the royal couple's visit to the Canadian Museum of Immigration in Halifax, Nova Scotia It was heard by several witnesses. Mother-of-three Mrs Ferguson said: ‘I had finished showing him the exhibit and talked with him about my own family background and how I came to Canada. ‘The prince then said “And now Putin is doing just about the same as Hitler”. ‘I must say that I agree with him and am sure a lot of people do. I was very surprised that he made the comment as I know they [members of the Royal Family] aren’t meant to say these things but it was very heartfelt and honest. ‘I told the prince that while my family and I were lucky to get a permit to travel, many of my other relatives had permits but were unable to get out before war broke out on September 1. They were sent to the concentration camps and died.’ Prince Charles looks at a canoeist and a kayaker next to the West River in Bonshaw Provincial Park near Charlottetown Royal visit: The Prince of Wales smiles as he meets young earth Rangers in Bonshaw Park on Prince Edward island on the third day of their Royal trip to Canada Well liked: Prince Charles and Camilla received a warm welcome when they arrived in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, on Tuesday Interesting curves: The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall study a wood carving of a ship's figure head, during a visit to the Hector Quay Museum in Pictou county, Nova Scotia

GAS DEAL OF THE CENTURY

Russia and China were last night frantically haggling over the ‘deal of the century’ on gas and investment.

Putin hopes to secure £240billion in guaranteed energy exports to China, making Russia far less dependent on Europe.

The two sides were edging towards a ‘significant joint declaration’, including military plans, although Russian sources said they had so far failed to agree on gas prices.

As relations between Russia and the West deteriorated rapidly, China issued a friendly statement on Ukraine to Moscow and the nations conducted a joint naval exercise.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said the prince should be 'free to express himself'.



'I obviously can’t comment on a conversation which was clearly a private a private conversation and I’m not going to start comparing one period of European history to another, but Prince Charles is able, I would have thought, to be free to express himself.

'I have never been of the view that if you are a member of the Royal family somehow you have to enter into some sort of Trappist vow of silence,' he told BBC Breakfast.



'I think he is entitled to his views, but don’t know whether those were his views because I just don’t think providing a running commentary on private conversations is useful to anybody.'

Former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton sparked uproar in Washington recently when she said very much the same as the heir to the throne. Lashing out at Moscow’s plan to issue passports to ethnic Russians in Crimea, she said: ‘Now, if this sounds familiar, it’s what Hitler did back in the 1930s.’

What is unusual, however, is for a senior royal to express an opinion publicly on such a clearly sensitive diplomatic issue.

Charles is often criticised for meddling in domestic affairs of state as well as the infamous ‘black spider’ memos – so called because of his scrawling handwriting – that he is said to frequently write to ministers on issues close to his heart. But international issues, particularly one as sensitive as this, are considered taboo.

A spokesman for Clarence House said last night they would not comment on a private conversation.

People photograph members of the Vostok Battalion, a pro-Russia militia, while they stand guard in an intersection. Prince Charles' comments are likely to be seen as a criticism of the West for failing to confront Mr Putin over his seizure of Crimea