Chaplin knighthood postponed

BRITAIN postponed knighting Charlie Chaplin for nearly 20 years because of his romantic escapades and his politics, according to secret documents unsealed on Saturday.

Chaplin, now regarded as one of the greatest silent film directors and actors, was initially put forward for the honour in 1956 but did not receive it until 1975.

The documents released by the Public Records Office show that the British government was wary of acknowledging the star because he had become reviled by some Americans as a communist sympathiser and a man of questionable morals.