2nd LD Writethru: Britain publishes Prince Charles's "Black Spider" letters to Tony Blair

A batch of private letters sent by Britain's Prince Charles to former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair and other government ministers were published Wednesday, sparking public scrutiny over whether the heir to the British throne had interfered with government policy-making.

The letters were made public following a decade-long legal battle, in which the Guardian newspaper insisted on seeing the letters under British Freedom of Information legislation.

The 27 letters and memos, dubbed "black spider memos" because of Prince Charles's unique handwriting, were written between September 2004 and April 2005.

They covered a wide range of issues, including badger culling, hill farmers, bovine tuberculosis (TB), procurement of British produce and challenges for the dairy sector.

"The letters deal with the mid-term review of the Common Agricultural Policy, and help that could be provided to farmers who were struggling to cope with the new business processes," Downing Street said.

According to Britain's constitutional monarchy system, members of the royal family are expected to keep politically neutral, and should not interfere with the government's policy-making process.

"The correspondence published by the Government today shows the range of The Prince of Wales' concerns and interests for this country and the wider world," a spokesperson for Prince Charles said in a statement.

"The Prince of Wales cares deeply about this country, and tries to use his unique position to help others. He has devoted most of his working life to helping individuals and organizations, to make a difference for the better of this country and the world," it added.

Noting that the prince should "have a right to communicate privately," the statement continued: "The publication of private letters can only inhibit his ability to express the concerns and suggestions which have been put to him in the course of his travels and meetings." Enditem