QUEEN BACKS HANDLING OF HARRY'S DRUG USE

Queen Elizabeth issued a message of support for Prince Charles yesterday,
praising the way he had handled the confession by Prince Harry, 17, that he
had smoked cannabis and indulged in under-age drinking.

It is unusual for the Queen to comment publicly on such a delicate family
matter and she made it clear that she hoped that the affair could now be
"considered as closed."

As Prince Harry returned to Eton College facing the possibility of a police
investigation into his illegal activities, the college also suggested
obliquely that he might face random drug tests.

Although the Queen and Prince Charles are know not to see eye-to-eye on
many domestic matters, commentators said his mother's words of reassurance
would have been well received by the heir to the throne.

The message about her grandson released by Buckingham Palace, said: "The
Queen shares the Prince of Wales's views on the seriousness of Prince
Harry's behaviour and supports the action which has been taken. She hopes
the matter can now be considered as closed."

Prince Harry was sent to see a drug rehabilitation clinic by his father
last summer. This was to warn him of the dangers of drug abuse after he
admitted smoking cannabis at his father's palace and drinking at a nearby pub.