(12 Aug 1997) Natural Sound
Britain's Prince Charles is taking a holiday with his two sons, as speculation about Princess Diana's friendship with millionaire playboy Dodi Fayed continues.
On Tuesday, Princes William and Harry joined their father for a rare photo-call at the Balmoral Royal retreat in Scotland.
But despite Charles' "family-man" image, the latest opinion poll puts public support for the royal family in Britain at an all-time low.
With speculation intense over Princess Diana's alleged new love interest, it was time for her children to face the cameras.
On holiday with their father, the two princes looked relaxed as they strolled by the River Dee at the Balmoral retreat in Scotland.
For several minutes, William, 15, and Harry, 12, posed with their father for pictures on the river's pebble shore.
Prince Charles himself has been rocked by the trying events of recent days.
Two volunteer workers for his charity "The Prince's Trust" were killed last week when a wall collapsed in the Orkney islands.
Then there were several days of intense media frenzy over pictures which seemed to show Princes Diana in a tender embrace with Dodi Fayed - the son of the owner of London's opulent Harrods department store.
And on Tuesday, a new poll commissioned by the national daily newspaper "The Guardian" suggested support for the royals had dipped below 50 percent for the first time.
Only 48 percent of those questioned thought Britain would be worse off without its royal family.
That compares with 70 percent who thought the same when pollsters asked the question three years ago.
The paper said the survey showed the harm done to the monarchy's reputation by repeated media revelations.
Charles' relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles, Diana's admission of adultery and the split between Prince Andrew and the Duchess of York have all taken their toll.
But despite the endless stream of gossip surrounding almost every member of the family, it still seems that Charles is the one losing support the fastest.
Diana, it appears, can do nothing wrong in the public's eyes.
Another survey by pollsters MORI published in "The Sun" - a daily tabloid - showed 74 percent thinking Diana's holiday with Dodi had done nothing to dent the family image.
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