Prince Charles Being Political?


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:previous: I always feel a little uneasy about "sources". They always have a lot to say but are never willing to disclose their identity, and to me, the anonymous accuser is given free reign and endless publicity with absolutely no verification.

Is it a friend? An acquaintence? Or, is it the result of a fertile mind. A person who has followed Charles interests and has convinced themself that they need to "expose" him because they believe that he will continue on (politically) as he has as POW or is it just a blind, to cover the actual author . . . the journalist.
 
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Reading the article, the author pointed out the "source" I think as an example of the way things could be heading when Charles is king. Perhaps he wasn't quoting the source as being totally accurate but setting an example of how things could be. The same point was brought up by mentioning the play King Charles III in the West End.

I tend to believe that once Charles is king, he will toe the line as far as voicing opinions in public but will be quite outspoken with his PM on things. Charles has been ingrained with how things have to be for too long to rock the boat too much. He may make some serious waves though. :D
 
A lot of this will be moot with the release of the 'spider letters' This is why the government is arguing so strongly to keep the letters away from the press.

Former Attorney General Dominic Grieve said the the letters may show Charles not just having opinions but openly disagreeing with the government of the day. AG Grieve is worried once Charles's neutrality is lost it can't be regained.

It would be tantamount to the Queen's weekly meeting with the PM becoming public record. She would lose her neutrality and in a constitutional monarchy neutrality is key.
 
:previous: As I understand it, Charles has as much right to disagree with Parliament as any other citizen and to convey his feelings, as a private citizen, to any government minister via letter.

When he becomes King, that right ceases. So it is hardly right or fair that his private letters should be made public and everyone elses remain "private".

If there is a change, all letters to the government should be made public, not just the POW.
 
:previous:
I have been saying this for awhile. If Charles letters are published then every letter should be published. Anyone can write a letter to a minister. Everyone knows Charles has opinions. I don't agree with everything he says but that doesn't bother me.
 
I agree its not fair but its almost a certainty they will be released. A court of appeal judge has ruled them released in the public intertest. This was blocked by AG Dominic Grieve who overrode the finding by arguing that the documents could show Charles to be “disagreeing with Government policy” and thus be “seriously damaging” to the political neutrality expected of the monarch.

Now its up to the SC and most observers I talk with seem to think its a done deal they get released
 
To my mind, either every single letter ever written to a politician by anyone should be released and made public or Prince Charles' letter should be kept under lock and key (or made to disappear if that has not already been done - where are these letters anyway, and shouldn't someone have got rid of them by now?)
What I find most annoying is that of-course the monarch and members of the royal family will have certain political leanings in one way or another. But even so, British politician are not known for taking a blind bit of notice of public opinion, much less so the opinions of our royal family.
 
I think the fear of Charles being too outspoken, once he's King, is pretty much over-exaggerated by the media. I think Charles will be careful of stepping on any political toes, but I think he will continue to voice his thoughts and feelings about the issues he's so passionate about. The man has worked too hard over the years, to be suddenly told, to shut up and be the nice mute King everyone want him to be.
 
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They are two different issues. The issue of whether Charles will speak out as King and then there is the issue of the letters.

The dispute is centred on 27 letters exchanged between Prince Charles and ministers in seven Whitehall departments during Tony Blair’s second Government between September 2004 and April 2005.

The worry for the government is say for example we find out Charles lobbied the Blair government to leave the European Union, once he becomes King Charles can't then pretend to have no public opinion on the EU. His opinion's will be public record.

It could be quite the mess depending on what's in the letters
 
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[...] but I think he will continue to voice his thoughts and feelings about the issues he's so passionate about.

Which is perfectly all within his constitutional role, famously summarized by Bagehot: "the right to be consulted, the right to encourage, the right to warn".

King Charles has the right to encourage issues, he also has the right to warn about issues. Exactly like Queen Elizabeth will have her own political opinions about the Scottish Referendum. The point is only that all participants must be willing to respect this right and remain absolutely confidential about it (what is called the "colloque singulier" on the Continent).

:flowers:
 
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The other concern is neutrality. If we find out though the letters Charles is opposed to the EU for example, it will be difficult for him as king to be neutral on matters concerning the EU.
This is the reason the government opposed the release of the letters in the first place, they may damage Charles's neutrality as king

I agree. Charles may end up being viewed much the same as a politician and as such be ousted likewise.
 
Peter Hunt @BBCPeterHunt · 2h 2 hours ago

No date yet for @UKSupremeCourt judgement on making Prince Charles' letters to gov public or not. 1st April last poss date before Easter.
 
Peter Hunt ‏@BBCPeterHunt 8 mins8 minutes ago
Decision by @UKSupremeCourt on whether or not some of Prince Charles' letters to government should be made public will come next Thursday.


Tim Ewart ‏@EwartRoyale 1 min1 minute ago
The Supreme Court will rule on the Prince Charles "spider memos" case next week. Will his letters to ministers now be made public?
 
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An informative article that breaks down the ongoing battle. As a devout monarchist I hope the letters aren't released. We will find out tomorrow morning.

The longest running Freedom of Information (FOI) battle is about to come to a close.

On Thursday 26th March at 9.45am the Supreme Court will make a judgement which could pave the way for letters written by Prince Charles to be disclosed under the FOI Act. The fight for the correspondence, between the Guardian and the government, has been ongoing for 10 years.

Seven of the most senior judges in the country will decide whether Dominic Grieve, when he was the Attorney General, was lawful in issuing a ministerial veto to block the publication of 27 pieces of correspondence written by the Prince. Last year the Court of Appeal ruled that the use of the veto was unlawful – the government then appealed the case to the Supreme Court.

The overall case is a technical one that involves the FOI Act, the Environmental Information Regulations, and EU rules. It is a battle that has seen the government waste at least £250,000 on attempting to block the publication of the letters. However, the fundamental decision behind the case comes down to will be whether the government could lawfully block the court ordered publication of the letters.

It is unlikely, if the letters should eventually be disclosed, that there will be the explosive content of MP’s expenses. Damage that may occur could be to Charles’s reputation and his future position as King (depending on their content). Although, there may also be questions to be answered by former government ministers if the letters reveal decisions they made were based upon the heir to the throne’s correspondence.
More: The 10 year fight: Battle to reveal Prince Charles’s letters is about to end | FOI Directory
 
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It is all relatively unharmful so to see. A plea for the plight of the Atlantic salmon, about the design of eco-towns, about changes in the primary school syllabus which worried the Prince, a plea to take the interests of British farmers into consideration, it is really not that groundbreaking and we essentially see a British citizen expressing his views, like millions do, to those "at the steering wheel".

In my opinion these letters should remain confidential. As all letters from the Prince needs to be publicized, the good man even has no any privacy anymore in his correspondence.
 
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It is all relatively unharmful so to see. A plea for the plight of the Atlantic salmon, about the design of eco-towns, about changes in the primary school syllabus which worried the Prince, a plea to take the interests of British farmers into consideration, it is really not that groundbreaking and we essentially see a British citizen expressing his views, like millions do, to those "at the steering wheel".

In my opinion these letters should remain confidential. As all letters from the Prince needs to be publicized, the good man even has no any privacy anymorre in his correspondence.

Great post. For me, the issue isn't what Charles wrote for, as you say, he is probably just saying what anyone would say about things they care about.

The issue would be any minister who made decisions solely on the basis of any of the letters.
 
And so should every letter be published from everyone sent letters to ministers.
 
Great post. For me, the issue isn't what Charles wrote for, as you say, he is probably just saying what anyone would say about things they care about.

The issue would be any minister who made decisions solely on the basis of any of the letters.
And so should every letter be published from everyone sent letters to ministers.
But how can you tell if a Minister did? At present they are only interested in the POW's letters so, if he wrote one letter and the Minister changed his point of view or vote, it will then be blamed or accredited to the letter of the POW.

What we will not be seeing is real life context which could and probably would have seen a Minister receive thousands of letters. So, perhaps they changed his mind.

Then of course we have the Minister's Constituency and if thousands of people from his electorate wrote, most politicians being somewhat pragmatic, could change their minds.

And of course, we must not forget the MP whose baseline is paternalistic. He's never going to change his mind because he knows what's best for us when we don't even know ourselves. That law or whatever will have his name on it for posterity.

But, the way things stand, we will only see the POW's letters without context and therefore know nothing more than we know today.
 
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Peter Hunt ‏@BBCPeterHunt 15 secs16 seconds ago
.@UKSupremeCourt has ruled that 27 of Prince Charles' private letters to government ministers can be made public.
 
@james_elliott_: The @UKSupremeCourt says that the decision was made without seeing any of the 27 letters.

@BBCBreaking: Clarence House "disappointed the principle of privacy had not been upheld," after ruling on Prince Charles letters http://t.co/0maBxOlOnq
 
Peter Hunt ‏@BBCPeterHunt 1 min1 minute ago
.@David_Cameron :This is a disappointing judgment and we will now consider how to release these letters
 
Someone wants Charles's head on a plate ...
I can feel the satisfaction and the excitation of some people to the prospect of seeing Charles being trapped by his own meddling.
Sad day for the Monarchy.
 
I think Charles will come out of this with his head held high. The monarchy has survived much worse
 
Whatever is revealed, by publication of these PRIVATE letters [and I expect it to be very little INDEED], the Prince remains Heir to the Throne, and Future King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and of the other realms and territories.

The Guardian may want his head on a plate, but they shan't get it !
 
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I'm glad these letters are going to be released. If Charles is, as I suspect, an incorrigible meddler who believes that he has a perfect right to interfere in legislation and lobby for changes in the law, (especially with regard to his hobby horses) all will become clear in the fullness of time.

I've always worried about this aspect of Charles's persona. He is in very many ways a superb Prince of Wales. However, if any attempted influencing of ministers comes to light as a result of these letters then his reputation will suffer, perhaps irreparably. Charles is not elected and he should leave the framing of laws to Parliament. That's what it's there for.
 
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