PRINCE CHARLES - PRINCE CHARLES PAYS TRIBUTE TO PAVAROTTI AS A 'PRODIGIOUS TALENT'

British royal PRINCE CHARLES has paid tribute to Italian tenor LUCIANO PAVAROTTI, hailing him a "prodigious talent" in a message of condolence to the maestro's grieving family. The Nessun Dorma star lost his battle with pancreatic cancer on Thursday (06Aug07) at the age of 71. The heir to the throne is the latest high-profile figure to give praise to the opera legend, after words of sympathy poured in from stars including Jose Carreras, Sir Elton John, Sting and Bono. In the note, the prince says, "(I am) profoundly grateful to have lived when such a prodigious talent inhabited this Earth. "My wife and I and my sons join with countless others who mourn the passing of one of Italy's national treasures. The world will seem an emptier place without him and without his generosity of spirit." Fans of Pavarotti have been paying homage to the star at Modena Cathedral in Italy, where his body is lying in state, ahead of his funeral on Saturday (08Sep07).