Prince's lost generation

The Prince of Wales came close to entering the political arena yesterday as he declared that low standards of education and training were preventing Britain from reaching its full economic potential, writes Patricia Wynn Davies.

At the launch of the restructured Prince's Trust in Manchester, he said unemployment, drug abuse, homelessness and under-achievement were leaving hundreds of thousands of youngsters unable to "play their full part as citizens".

The Prince said that the organisation, created in 1976 to help the disadvantaged, was sadly more relevant than ever.