The Government has blocked the publication of letters from the Prince of Wales to Labour ministers because it fears that their disclosure could undermine his position of political neutrality.
Reversing a tribunal decision made last month, Dominic Grieve, QC, the Attorney-General, said that the letters from Prince Charles to Tony Blair’s Government — 27 in seven months — were an exceptional case because they formed part of his “preparations for kingship”.
The pressure group Republic accused the Government of a “cover-up” and described the decision as “an affront to democracy”.
After a Freedom of Information request by The Guardian, three tribunal judges had ruled that the Government should disclose copies of confidential letters — nicknamed “black spider memos”, in reference to the Prince’s handwriting