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Former Czech president Václav Havel, a playwright by profession, will attend the US premiere of his play Leaving on May 26, the Czech news agency has reported, saying he will accompanied by his wife Dagmar, and his personal secretary. The play is to premiere in the Wilma Theatre in Philadelphia. The main role is to be performed by actor David Strathairn. According to ČTK, the theatre, which is managed by a Czech-born couple, is one of the more respected in the US. The play Leaving by Mr Havel focuses on the difficulty of a politician’s giving up power after many years in office. Later this year, a film version, shot in the Czech Republic and directed by Mr Havel, is expected to go into production.

The Czech president’s office has offered an explanation for its failure to invite Václav Havel to last week’s signing of the US-Russia nuclear deal at Prague Castle. A spokesman for the Czech president said that at the time the guest list was being prepared Mr Havel had been ill. The former president himself told Czech TV that he did not think the mistake was that of President Václav Klaus but rather of some of his staff. Mr Havel’s former spokesman Ladislav Špaček had earlier called the Castle’s omission of Mr Havel “scandalous”. In his view, Mr Havel should have been present as a statesman who had raised the profile of the Czech Republic and had been one of the main architects of its foreign policy.

Former Czech president Václav Havel has told Czech TV that the filming of his play Leaving should begin in June and that the feature film would most likely premiere in Czech cinemas next March. The play, which examines the difficulty of giving up power, will star Mr Havel’s wife Dagmar as well as other well-known actors: Josef Abrhám, Jaroslav Dušek, and Eva Holubová. The play Leaving premiered at Prague’s Archa Theatre two years ago and has also seen foreign productions and translations into numerous languages. The screen version will mark Mr Havel’s debut as a film director.

Former president Václav Havel has fully recovered from illness: a bronchial infection that recently saw the cancellation of his planned meeting with Prince Charles and Camilla on an official visit to the Czech Republic. Mr Havel fell ill on March 23 and was given antibiotics by his doctors, after having a similar bout with the illness in February. It is well-known that he suffers greater risk from bronchial infections, suffering pneumonia in the past as well as being successfully operated for lung cancer. Mr Havel is now expected to return to regular daily affairs, his secretary said, confirming that there has been no word as to whether the former president will meet with US leader Barack Obama next week. Mr Obama will be in Prague to sign an historic nuclear arms reduction agreement with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Messrs Obama and Havel met during the US president’s first trip to the Czech capital last April.

Former Czech president Václav Havel cancelled a meeting with Britain’s Prince Charles on Tuesday due to illness. Mr Havel had been scheduled to accompany the prince on a visit to Prague’s English College secondary school, of which both are patrons, on the last day of the latter’s four-day visit to the Czech Republic. Mr Havel, who is 73 and is inclined to suffer from breathing difficulties, has also called off a trip to Georgia planned for this week. He had been due to receive an honour from the president of the former Soviet state, Mikheil Saakashvili.

Prince Charles and his wife Camilla met Czech politicians and visited historical monuments, the theatre and an eco-friendly village during their stay, which began on Saturday.

Václav Havel is due to receive a state honour from the president of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, on a two-day visit to the former Soviet state next week. In the past Mr Saakashvili has praised the former Czech president for his condemnation of Russia’s role in an armed conflict between the two countries in August 2008. At that time Mr Havel called on the European Union to declare Russia the aggressor.

The Brno theatre Divadlo Husa na provázku is putting on the first public performance of a previously unknown play by Václav Havel on Saturday, Mladá fronta Dnes reported. The play Prase (Pig) is about a playwright named Václav Havel who attempts to secure a pig for a zabijačka, or pig-killing. However, the local villagers, who are dressed in traditional folk costumes, will only sell the animal for a highly inflated price. The play is believed to be from 1987, two years before Mr Havel led the Velvet Revolution, which overthrew communist rule in Czechoslovakia. Prase will get its official premiere at Divadlo Husa na provázku in June.

Former president Václav Havel has publicly endorsed the Green Party for parliamentary elections in May. In a letter entitled “We Choose the Green Party”, Mr Havel and dozens of other intellectuals wrote that Czech politics needed “green” politicians untouched by corruption scandals who would not abuse the public coffers or restrict the freedom of the media. President Havel also supported the Green Party in last year’s elections to the European Parliament. Their results in that poll were poor, in part due to the break-up of the coalition government of which they were a part. Current polls show she Green Party hovering around the 5% margin needed to win a parliamentary mandate.

Former Czech president Václav Havel is recovering from a respiratory tract infection, an aide to Mr Havel said on Thursday. The 73-year-old ex-president, who came down with the infection on Monday, is taking antibiotics and continues his recovery at home. His engagements for the whole of next week have been cancelled.

In 1996, Mr Havel had part of his right lung removed due to cancer. He has since often suffered from infections of the respiratory tract. Last January, the former head of state spent two weeks in hospital with serious throat infection.

Former Czech President Václav Havel has been forced to cancel his engagements for the coming days because of breathing difficulties, his office announced on Monday. Spokeswoman Sabina Tančevová said Mr Havel was taking antibiotics to counter respiratory problems. Havel was due on Monday to take part in a press conference of a new book by journalist Karel Hvižd’ala which includes interviews with Havel and fellow communist era dissident Pavel Landovský. Mr Havel, a former heavy smoker whose health suffered during imprisonment under the Communist regime, had part of his right lung removed in the late 1990’s when cancer was diagnosed.