Prince Charles has been cautioned by a royal expert to dial down his political interference as the heir to the throne could be putting the royal family at great risk. The warning comes after the Prince of Wales, who is a staunch environmentalist, launched a Sustainable Market Council this January.
Brendan O'Neill, the editor of Spiked Online, said that that monarchists and republicans alike are growing increasingly concerned about Prince Charles' political interference. O'Neill said that a lot of people are aware that the Prince of Wales writes letters to politicians about his environmental advocacies, where he apparently "sticks his nose into political affairs and public affairs."
However, the editor said that Prince Charles' actions could make him incredibly unpopular to his subjects. Once Queen Elizabeth is gone, O'Neill said that the public will no doubt start questioning the actions of the royal family.
According to Daily Express, Prince Charles was never one to keep quiet about his opinions on issues, whether it's about climate change or architecture. In a recent poll conducted by the news outlets, its readers revealed that they prefer Prince William over Prince Charles to rule after Queen Elizabeth since the latter was too political.
Apparently from 2005 to 2015, Prince William wrote what was named the "black spider memos" to different government officials. Prince Charles wrote these letters to share his thoughts and opinions about different issues as a private individual. However, he was accused of trying to influence the decisions of the government when monarchs are expected to maintain politically neutral.
But these private letters were distributed to foundations, charities and campaign groups as well, despite the understanding that these were for private reading by the recipients. It became advocacy letters to advance Prince Charles' beliefs and views that may tie to his work in his charities.
Prince Charles actions had royal aides reviewing a redefinition of the role of a monarch in 2008. However, it remained apparent that speaking out against issues of importance, nationally and internationally, would be detrimental to the monarchy.
Despite this, advisers of the royals believed that Prince Charles' letters were able to bring about changes and improvements in the services the government provided. Apparently, his correspondence was highly regarded and placed on the top of the pile of important government people.
Meanwhile, The Guardian tried to gain access to copies of these letters with the intent of publishing it. The government denied the request.
