Prince Charles draws comparison between Putin and Adolf Hitler

The Prince of Wales “has got a point” when he draws comparisons between Russian president Vladimir Putin and Adolf Hitler, Labour leader Ed Miliband has said.

Mr Miliband said many Britons shared the prince’s concerns about Mr Putin’s actions in Ukraine, which were reportedly voiced in a private conversation with a member of the public during his tour of Canada.

Jewish museum volunteer Marienne Ferguson (78) told Prince Charles how she and her family fled the Nazis during the second World War, and said he responded: “Putin is doing just about the same as Hitler”.

His comment prompted one senior Labour MP to suggest he “should abdicate” if he wanted to speak out on political affairs. But deputy prime minister Nick Clegg backed his right to express his opinions and said there was no requirement for the royals to adopt a “Trappist” vow of silence. Prime minister David Cameron declined to comment on the prince’s reported remark.

The prince was on a tour of the Museum of Immigration in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he and the Duchess of Cornwall paid tribute to second World War veterans and their families.

After meeting Charles, Mrs Ferguson told the Daily Mail that she told the prince how she fled to Canada shortly before the Nazis annexed the free city of Danzig – now Gdansk in Poland. "The prince said 'And now Putin is doing just about the same as Hitler'," said Mrs Ferguson. "I must say that I agree with him and am sure a lot of people do.

“But 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. – (PA)