BRITAIN: Prince Charles is embroiled in an extraordinary dispute for allegedly bombarding ministers with letters on a range of issues seeming to set him against the policies of the elected government.
A series of leaks revealed the prince's views on everything from fox hunting and "compensation culture", to red tape and political correctness - prompting warnings from Labour MPs that he is at risk of becoming embroiled in party political controversies and so undermining the monarchy.
St James Palace issued a stout defence of the prince, insisting it was part of his function as heir to the throne to highlight issues and voice concerns in danger of not being heard. And his spokeswoman took a swipe at those responsible for the leak of his letters to the Daily Mail, asserting that his role could only be fulfilled properly "if complete confidentiality is maintained".
However, the controversy - which could cast a blight on Queen Elizabeth's Golden Jubilee year - turned the spotlight back on the question of the proper role of the Prince of Wales, and prompted some unfavourable comparisons with the queen, who has spent 50 years on the throne and whose private and political opinions remain unknown.
Constitutional expert Prof Vernon Bogdanor said Prince Charles was entitled to express his views to ministers on issues of the day: "He's got a right to do so, some would say a duty. He will become the sovereign. The more he understands about the country, the better for the country." However, he added: "The condition is, it must remain private, so it does not appear he is expressing a view that puts him at odds with the government of the day." Labour MPs are furious that that appears to be the position.
He came under fire earlier in the week following claims that he had written to the Prime Minister, Mr Blair, relaying the complaint of countryside campaigners that they were being treated worse than blacks and gays. While the prince reportedly stopped his partner Mrs Camilla Parker Bowles from joining last Sunday's "save the countryside" march through London, she is said to have flown from Balmoral to attend a party in London that day hosted by Sir John Mortimer and his wife Penny, both firm opponents of proposals to ban fox hunting.
Labour MP Mr Dennis Skinner had earlier welcomed press reports that an angry Prince Charles had said he may as well leave the country and go skiing if the hunt ban went ahead. And yesterday he returned to the attack, demanding to know whether the prince had written similar letters of protest to the Thatcher government over the poll tax or the miners strike "when families were starving". He said: "If he did none of those things then it is pretty clear he is only writing from a right-wing position."
Mr Tony Banks MP, the former sports minister, said the prince was getting into "very dangerous waters" by becoming embroiled in "party political issues" and risked stripping away the reasons for having a constitutional monarchy.
Royal watchers, meanwhile, applied the simple principle that the prince had been damaged by the disclosures, and speculated that the leaks either reflected Whitehall impatience with his letter-writing campaigns, or, alternatively, a more subtle effort by palace courtiers to "rein him in".