October 14, 2001	Sunday	Rajab 26, 1422

LONDON, Oct 13: Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, had dinner with a relative of Osama bin Laden two weeks after terror strikes in America last month, St James’ Palace said on Saturday.

Charles met Bakr bin Laden, a prominent Saudi businessman, to discuss the Islamic faith, said a spokeswoman for St James’ Palace, the prince’s official residence in London.

“We can confirm that the prince did attend a dinner for the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies (in central England) and that a member of the extended family of Osama bin Laden was at that dinner,” the spokeswoman said.

“It is a recognized centre which promotes greater understanding of the Islamic faith and the arrangement was made months ago,” before the atrocities in New York and Washington, which Osama bin Laden is suspected of having masterminded.

Prince Charles is patron of the Oxford centre and the Laden family has links with it. The family disowned its famous member several years ago.

The Daily Telegraph reported that Bakr bin Laden is a brother of Osama.

The palace spokeswoman said: “It is a very, very big family and my understanding is that this particular member of the family is referred to as a brother but may not actually be his brother.”

The paper said that Charles first met Bakr in June at a London exhibition and was introduced by a Saudi prince.

Charles reportedly greeted him by inquiring: “What’s your brother up to these days?” —AFP