[MTVN]

Private letters sent by the Prince of Wales to Labour ministers a decade ago have been published after a lengthy legal battle.

Clarence House said the move would "only inhibit" the prince's ability to express concerns.

In one letter to the prime minister, the prince said the armed forces were being asked to do a challenging job "without the necessary resources".

Release of the letters follows a decade-long campaign by the Guardian.

The 27 letters to seven government departments on wide ranging subjects, including the dominance of supermarkets, badger culling and the herbal medicine sector, were written between September 2004 and April 2005.

A government veto on publication was declared unlawful by the Court of Appeal last year - a decision which was upheld by the Supreme Court in March.

More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-32726099

Ten things Charles wrote letters about: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-32723652

Good to see a future monarch taking such an interest in his country or an abuse of his privilege and position? I tend towards the latter; we're often told about how the royal family have no real power so we might as well keep them but that argument loses strength when Charles' is trying to exert his influence to achieve favourable results in political matters. If the royal family wish to maintain their position then they should be completely neutral in such things.