The Prince of Wales’ “Black Spider” Memos Released

Letters written a decade ago by the Prince of Wales to government ministers that British newspaper The Guardian fought to have made public were today released. But their contents were not as controversial as had been hoped by some sectors.

Written between September 2004 and April 2005, the letters show Prince Charles offering his thoughts on the farming industry (specifically beef farming and dairy quotas) and the rising power of supermarkets, herbal medicines, and the plight of the albatross and the Patagonian toothfish.

One of the key letters that was written to then Prime Minister Tony Blair raised the notion that British troops were not being given “the necessary resources” to perform their “extremely challenging job” during the Iraq War. The Prince was concerned that the Lynx helicopters in use by the Armed Forces at the time were performing poorly, particularly in high temperatures.

The Prince of Wales has received support from MPs, members of the defence forces and family members of British soldiers killed in Iraq regarding his correspondence. MPs stated that the letters showed how “deeply committed and passionate about the interests of this country and its people” the heir to the throne was, while Colonel Richard Kemp, formed commander of British forces in Afghanistan, said it was Charles’s “duty” to bring this issues up.

The Prince of Wales during a visit to retailer Marks and Spencer as part of The Prince’s Trust ‘Make Your Mark’ youth employment scheme, May 13.

Read more about the release of the letters here.

Filed under The United Kingdom
Tagged Correspondence, Government, Legal Matters, The Prince of Wales.