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The seven Supreme Court justices who handed down their judgement today were only deciding upon a point of law, so they did not have to read the 27 letters which both Clarence House and Government have fought so hard to keep secret.
One of the only people who knows what is in the so-called “black spider” memos – penned by Prince Charles to seven different Government departments over a seven-month period in 2004 and 2005 – is Dominic Grieve, the former Attorney General who vetoed their publication in 2012.
Justifying his decision not to release them at the time, he said that much of the correspondence reflected Prince Charles’s “most deeply held personal views and beliefs” and were “in many cases particularly frank”.
He continued: “They also contain remarks about public affairs which would in my view, if revealed, have had a material effect upon the willingness of the government to engage in correspondence with the Prince of Wales, and would potentially have undermined his position of political neutrality.”
The correspondence reflects Prince Charles’s 'most deeply held personal views and beliefs' (Arthur Edwards/Getty Images) Prince Charles is known for his strong opinions on a range of topics, from the environment and farming to complementary medicine and architecture. Perhaps his most notorious intervention came in 1984, when he described plans for a new extension to the National Gallery as a “monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much-loved and elegant friend”. The project was later scrapped.
More recently, he wrote to Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the emir of Qatar, urging his family to drop plans for a radical redevelopment of Chelsea Barracks in favour of a more traditional alternative. The plans were later shelved, leading to accusations that he had abused his “privileged position”.
In pictures: Prince Charles through the yearsShow all 50 1 /50In pictures: Prince Charles through the years In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Prince Charles is presented with a teddy bear for Prince George during a visit to the 132nd Sandringham Flower Show at Sandringham House
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Prince Charles at 5 weeks old, with his mother looking on
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Princess Elizabeth and The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh with Prince Charles after his christening at Buckingham Palace in 1948
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain) with her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and their baby son Prince Charles in 1949
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh are photographed with their two children, Charles, Prince of Wales (L) and Princess Anne (R), circa 1951
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Prince Charles, heir to the British throne riding in his pram pushed by his nanny, Mabel Anderson
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Prince Charles on his fourth birthday, leaning from a window with the Queen
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Prince Charles, aged 4, driving a toy car in the grounds of Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Princess Anne laughing while she is posing with her brother Prince Charles
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Queen Elizabeth (1900 - 2002), wife of George VI, with her grandson Prince Charles and Pippin the dog
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Queen Mother Elizabeth, Prince Charles and Princess Elizabeth in the royal hall of Westminster Abbaye during Princess Elizabeth's coronation ceremony in 1953
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Prince Charles on holiday in Jamaica,1966
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Prince Charles and his mother Queen Elizabeth on the ramparts of Windsor Castle in 1961
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles The Queen Mother leaves St George's Chapel, Windsor after a Garter Ceremony, accompanied by her grandson Prince Charles, 1968
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Prince Charles prepares himself a snack meal in his rooms at Trinity College in Cambridge, 1969
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Prince Charles playing the cello while he was a student at the University of Cambridge in 1969
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Prince Charles and fellow students, rehearsing for a revue at Cambridge University, in which the Prince appeared in several sketches, 1969
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Charles, Prince of Wales prepares an aircraft for take off during a flying lesson
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Prince Charles in his investiture robes at Caernarvon Castle,1969
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Charles, Prince of Wales starring in the Trinity College, Cambridge annual revue, 'Quiet Flows The Don'. He blowing bubbles during a parody of weather forecasts called 'Weather Tim Nobler', 1970
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Prince of Wales and Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones on the Estate at Balmoral Castle, Scotland during the Royal Family's annual summer holiday in September 1971
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Prince Charles in an Infantry Colonel's uniform prepares to fire a 120mm bazooka during his visit to the Montgomery Barracks at the Kladow district of West Berlin in Germany, 1972
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Prince Charles Playing Polo At Cowdray Park
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, dressed in traditional tweeds and sporting a smart naval beard, rides the acres of Badminton, 1976
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Prince Charles becomes Red Indian Chief Red Crow during his visit to Canada in 1977
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Prince Charles with long hair blowing in the wind at polo at Smith's Lawn in Windsor, 1978
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Prince Charles and his fiancee Lady Diana Spencer together with their dog Harvey rest by a bench in Scotland, 1981
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Prince of Wales kisses Lady Diana on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after their wedding in St Paul's Cathedral
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles The Prince and Princess of Wales with their newborn son Prince William on the steps of St Mary's Hospital in London, 1982
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Prince Charles and Diana with Prince William on the day of William's christening, held in the music room of Buckingham Palace in London,1982
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Prince Charles with his baby son Prince William in the sitting room of their Kensington Palace home
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Princess Diana and Prince Charles watch an official event during their first royal Australian tour in 1983
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Princess Diana holding baby Prince Harry as she and Prince Charles leave St. Marys hospital in London, 1984
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Prince Charles and Diana at home in Kensington Palace with their sons Prince William and Prince Harry in 1986
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Prince Charles and Princess Diana look their separate ways during a memorial service on their tour of South Korea in 1992
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles The Prince of Wales, wearing a kilt, chats to Chelsea Pensioners when he visits Chelsea Hospital in 1992
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Princess Diana, her sons Harry and William, and Prince Charles attend commemorations of VJ Day in London in 1995
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Prince Charles examines a plant at Yalding Organic Gardens in Kent, 1996
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Prince Charles and his two sons Harry and William wait in front of the Westminster Abbey in London after the funeral ceremony of Princess of Wales
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Prince Charles visitins the farmers market In Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire, 2000
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Prince Charles visits the world-famous Eden Project - The 86 Million Tropical Rainforest in Bodelva, 2001
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Prince Charles poses with his sons Prince William and Prince Harry during the Royal Family's ski break at Klosters, Switzerland, in 2005
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles New WWF President Prince Charles gives a keynote speech during an event to mark the 20th anniversary of the Global Forest & Trade Network, an initiative established by WWF to improve the responsible management of the world's forests at St James' Palace in London, 2011
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Prince of Wales and Michael Middleton are photographed before the royal wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall arrive at St. Georges Chapel following their civil wedding ceremony at Windsor Guildhall
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales as they are seen viewing horses in the parade ring from the Royal Box on the second day of Royal Ascot in London, 2013
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Prince Charles visits the Mackwoods Labookellie Tea Estate on a visit to Sri Lanka, 2013
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Prince Charles and Mark Shand (founder of the Elephant Family charity) (centre left) visit the elephant corridor at Vazhachal Forest Range near Chalakudy in Kerala on 12 November 2013
In pictures: Prince Charles through the years Prince Charles Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall holds an 'I'm a King's Baby' bear as Prince Charles, Prince of Wales looks on during an official visit to King's College Hospital in London
The seven departments which received letters from Prince Charles in 2004 and 2005 were Business, Innovation and Skills; Health; Children, Schools and Families; Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Culture, Media and Sport; the Northern Ireland Office and the Cabinet Office.
Mr Grieve said he believed they had been written “as part of the Prince of Wales’s preparation for becoming king”, and that the disclosure of their contents could damage his ability to perform his duties as monarch. “It is a matter of the highest importance within our constitutional framework that the monarch is a politically neutral figure able to engage in confidence with the government of the day, whatever its political colour,” he added.
Soon, the British public will be able to judge for themselves whether or not he was right.
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