Prince’s privilege

Published on 18/10/2012 00:00

You report (17 October) that making public Prince Charles’ letters to the last Labour government could potentially damage the principle of the heir to the throne being politically neutral.

Surely the prince has himself been responsible for damaging that principle, if not rendering it obsolete, by writing what must clearly be politically charged letters to the government. We should call on him to make these letters public through his own offices unless, of course, he has something to hide.

It does not sit well for democracy for the heir to the throne to harbour political views that he would prefer to keep hidden from his future subjects but not from their representatives in the highest levels of government.

This transforms his supposed political neutrality into political privilege, worsened by the establishment predictably closing ranks to defend it.

Alistair McBay

Lawmuirview

Methven