What the papers say

Journalist Mike Philpott takes a look at what is making the headlines in Friday's morning papers.

The Soham murder trial continues to claim the greatest number of column centimetres, while the apparent spat between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown also attracts its fair share of coverage.

But both are overshadowed by the latest Royal story, as many of the papers rejigged their front pages to take account of a statement issued by Clarence House.

Most commentators agree that issuing a denial of allegations that no-one's allowed to publish was the only course of action open to Prince Charles and his PR advisers.

The Times says officials were locked in emergency meetings before the statement was issued.

Jane Kerr in the Mirror says the amazing thing about the whole story is that Clarence House has done what the Mail on Sunday was trying to do all along - namely, to put Prince Charles "at the centre of the story".

James Whitaker, the paper's long-time Royal watcher, says he knows the details of the allegation and believes that it contains "not a shred of truth".

He says Thursday night's denial was a "high-risk" move, but to have done otherwise would have been "disastrous".

'Dignified'

The Irish Independent agrees, saying that making a statement is a far more "dignified" option than being "flushed out on a tide of sleaze". But it believes that nothing will stop the allegation eventually being made public.

The Mail, whose sister paper sought to publish the allegations, describes the statement as "sensational". But it believes that - far from limiting the damage - it may "ignite a renewed bout of speculation".

Closer to home, the Irish News leads with the effect on customers of the closure of the Shop Electric chain.

The paper says many have handed over money for goods that might never be delivered.

Its main editorial picks up on Thursday's lead story - the inquest on Rebecca McKeown, the severely disabled girl who was found to have been sexually assaulted before her death.

It says it is "difficult to imagine a more vulnerable child," and notes that her grandfather was arrested in connection with the case, but was released and denies any wrongdoing.

The paper believes it is essential that the police file on this tragedy remains "open and active," because whoever was responsible for such a "depraved" act deserves "a lengthy jail term".

The News Letter devotes both its main headline and its comment column to disquiet over a dramatisation of the Holy Cross school dispute.

The paper comments that the drama - commissioned jointly by the BBC and RTE - may rake over open sores which have not yet healed.

It says that "oversimplifying a contentious issue" in Northern Ireland can "hinder rather than help" the cause of peace and stability.