London Sunday Times February 1, 1998 Arthur C Clarke sex scandal hits Charles's Sri Lanka visit by Yvonne Ridley THE Prince of Wales's visit to Sri Lanka this week hit a new problem last night after Arthur C Clarke, the respected science fiction writer due to be knighted by Charles, allegedly confessed to being a paedophile. The investiture is due to take place on Wednesday during the prince's visit, which coincides with the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the island's independence. Downing Street said last night: "As far as we are concerned the investiture is still going ahead as planned." A spokesman refused to comment on the possibility of a forfeiture of the honour by the 80-year-old author of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Clarke's revelations, published in today's Sunday Mirror, are bound to embarrass Tony Blair, who named him in his first new year honours as prime minister. Last night diplomats in Colombo, the island's capital, were being asked to assess the author's tabloid confession. If the report is taken at face value the ceremony is unlikely to go ahead. Buckingham Palace advisers contacted British embassy officials in Sri Lanka this year to make discreet inquiries after rumours about Clarke's sexuality and private life. They reported that, although Clarke was known to be gay, there was no evidence of paedophilia. The British-born author of more than 80 novels, who has adopted Sri Lanka as his home, was unable to travel to Britain to receive his knighthood from the Queen because he is virtually confined to a wheelchair as a result of post-polio syndrome. In 1989 he was made a CBE for his services to British cultural interests in Sri Lanka, where he enjoys a tax-free lifestyle bestowed on him by the island because of his celebrity status. He previously met Charles at the British premiere of his Odyssey film in the 1960s, for which he received an Oscar nomination. Surrey-born Clarke was married briefly in 1953 to Marilyn Mayfield, an American who has since died. The marriage lasted about six months after a whirlwind affair. After the split Clarke moved to Sri Lanka, where he now lives in a luxurious home surrounded by state-of-the-art technology and computers that allow him to keep in touch with friends around the world. His study is lined with photographs of celebrities and admirers of his work, including the Pope, Diana, Princess of Wales, Elizabeth Taylor and the astronaut Neil Armstrong. The news also threatens to cast a shadow during the royal visit for senior officials on the island as they have always been proud of the eminent author's presence during the past 40 years. Homosexuality is regarded as an offence in Sri Lanka and carries a prison sentence of up to 10 years. Charles's planned trip was already marred last week by a terrorist attack on a temple that was to have been the scene of the independence celebrations. The bomb killed 17 people, including a suicide team who drove a truck into the old hill capital of Kandy. Buddhist leaders have called for a boycott of this week's ceremonies in protest at Charles's presence. They say Britain sympathises with the island's separatist Tamil Tiger rebels. They also claim the Tamil Tigers, who carried out the bombing, have been allowed to raise money in London for terrorist campaigns. Since the bombing some Buddhist leaders have intensified demands for a formal apology from Britain for its colonial rule. A Foreign Office spokesman said last night that he fully expected Charles's visit to Sri Lanka to go ahead despite the security fears over recent terrorist activities. A report that members of the prince's royal protection squad would not be allowed to carry guns was an "administrative point" that would be resolved before the party left, he said. "It is an island where there is a history of terrorist problems with the Tamil Tigers and, from time to time, with explosions and so forth, so not unnaturally we are looking very closely at security," the spokesman said.