Reports are that the world's foremost and largest centre for scientific research might just close down within a mere months, after its funding has managed to dry up after an argument with a senior aide to the Prince of Wales.

While homeopaths and their friends at the Buckingham Palace must be rubbing their hands, the leader of complementary medicine, Professor Edzard Ernst, might just be facing the shut down of his unit at the Peninsula medical school in Exeter.

Although there is huge amounts of money in alternative therapies, it is the funding to allow the Professor to carry them out scientifically that is apparently all set to run out once and for all.

Unless a new supporter is found, the University of Exeter unit will be closed down within a maximum of 14 months.

"I feel cheated, we are the only unit applying scientific principles to studying alternative remedies", said Professor Ernst.