A McMess for Prince gobbo

THERE was a long-standing joke during the Hutton inquiry about the Daily Mail’s coverage of it. It was said by many, the the mid-market paper had a tough task: who to side with, Labour or the BBC?

For it, it really was a case of the lesser of two evils. I think it plumped with the BBC in the end, though I’m not sure that truce lasted all that long.

This week, we had another of those situations for the media, after Prince Charles announced that he thought McDonald’s should be banned.

So who do we side with? The multi-national giant which had made fatty foods available for all and made the task of bringing up children on a healthy diet so much harder for parents who care (ie those not in North Tyneside) about what goes into their children’s mouths?

Or the slightly potty, greatly detached-from-reality prince who seems to be more Teflon than the prime minister when it comes to making sure nothing ever sticks to him?

Initially, I’d have plumped for Charles on the grounds that a bit of Maccie bashing is almost as popular in the media as a bit of Mucca (lady Heather Mills) bashing.

But then it emerged that while, yes, McDonald’s food range isn’t that healthy for you, it certainly beat a range of snack type products called Duchy Originals.

Organic they may be, but just being free of chemcials doesn’t guarantee low calorie count, low sugar, low fat or low salt counts. As Prince Charles should know – given that the Duchy Originals range is actually his own.

This, in my book, makes him either ignorant, or a hypocrite. Or both. A man happy to jump on a bandwagon rather than assess the facts, which are these: Yes McDonald’s foods aren’t the healthiest, BUT the company has tried very hard to put healthy products on its menu. It’s also possible to have some regular McDonald’s meals for fewer Weightwatcher points than a low-fat ready meal.

And above all, Prince Charles forgets one important fact. Just because he doesn’t seem able to control what comes out of his mouth doesn’t mean the rest of us aren’t able to control what goes into ours.

It’s called freedom of choice. Something we all have, except when it comes to deciding if we wish to pay for the monarchy.