Britain will be leaving the European Union today at around 11 p.m. Boris Johnson is expected to address this historical event, but the royal family has to remain neutral about it. However, in 1988, Prince Charles happened to cross the line and expressed his thoughts on EEC, the predecessor of EU, saying it's a "maddening bureaucracy" in an unearthed report.
In Queen Elizabeth II's website, it noted that as the head of state, Her Majesty has to "remain strictly neutral with respect to political matters." Hence, other members of the royal family have to follow suit.
However, Prince Charles seemed to cross this line when he commented on political issues when he was younger. In a report by the Bruges Group, a United Kingdom-based think tank that supported the restructure of Britain's relationship with EU, the Prince of Wales openly discussed the bloc before the Maastricht Treaty came into force.
In the report obtained by Express, Prince Charles summarized the views of this campaign when he talked to French President Mitterand at a dinner in Paris on Nov. 8, 1988. "The current emphasis on standardization and maddening bureaucratic regulations may be necessary for economic success... to make Europe a practical and romantic possibility," the heir to the throne said.
The future king suggested that everyone should be careful and not too missionary as every individual stayed true to their roots. Regarding the important issues of defense, he added that there seemed to be a genuine change in the Soviet Union at the time, and it was welcomed.
However, it was a long way to go, and during the process, there would be inevitably slow progress of Glasnost and Perestroika. So, everyone should be cautious about their interests and security. Anyhow, Clarence House refused to comment about Prince Charles' statement at the time.
Meanwhile, French politician Marine Le Pen warned that Brexit could lead to the "end of the EU." She told Time Magazine in 2016 that that move could signify the end of the EU, but she is hoping that it could be the beginning of the Europe of nations and Europe cooperation that everyone was hoping to happen for years.
Le Pen also added that the Brexit vote also showed that her country could also defy Brussels and follow the U.K.'s footsteps to leave the EU. It has been reported that Brussels also plans not to have any British input.
