Prince Charles meets Hu for peace talks

The Prince of Wales (pictured) has had a frosty relationship with the Chinese government ever since the handover of Hong Kong in 1997 when he called the Chinese leadership "appalling old waxworks". Last year he ruffled diplomatic feathers again by boycotting the Beijing Olympics in support of Tibet and his friend the Dalai Lama.

Today, however, Prince Charles will attempt to patch up these differences when he meets President Hu, in town for the G20 summit, for a low-key chat at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Knightsbridge.

That said, the pow-wow, understood to be the culmination of months of delicate negotiations, hardly looks set to be a free and frank exchange of views. "His Royal Highness's views on Tibet and other matters are well known, but he is prepared to carry out his constitutional duty for the Government," a palace courtier told the Daily Telegraph.

The prince’s “waxworks” jibe was included in a 3,000-word journal he entitled The Handover of Hong Kong - or, the Great Chinese Takeaway. Recording a ceremony he attended with Hu’s predecessor, Jiang Zemin, Charles wrote: "After my speech the President detached himself from the group of appalling old waxworks who accompanied him ... He then gave the kind of 'propaganda' speech which was loudly cheered by the bussed-in party faithful." ·