Prince Charles' secret memos to government officials released
Move comes after newspaper wins 10-year battle for content of 27 'particularly frank' letters to government ministers to be released
A cache of secret memos sent by Prince Charles to senior government ministers has finally been published, following a 10-year freedom of information battle between The Guardian and the government.
The government blocked the release of the letters, claiming their publication risked undermining Charles' "position of political neutrality", which would not easily be recovered when he became king.
The letters - 27 memos to and from the heir to the throne and ministers in seven government departments - relate to an eight-month period from September 2004 to April 2005.
Prince Charles' correspondence was with ministers in the departments of 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.
Ministers described the memos as "particularly frank".
The cache of memos includes letters written a decade ago to former Prime Minister Tony Blair and other top officials on topics that include agriculture, the status of the armed forces, badger culling, redevelopment in Northern Ireland and other matters.