Prince Charles says he is 'not a cynical person' in 1994

The heir to the throne has a reputation as an “activist prince” who was invested in tackling climate change long before it became fashionable. His steadfast commitment to the environment has persevered over his decades in the public eye, despite, at times, receiving criticism for being too outspoken. His infamous ‘black spider memos’ where he privately tried to lobby Government ministers on causes close to his own heart — including green policies — only cemented his image as a “meddling” royal who had crossed the line between politics and the strict constitutional purpose of the Royal Family.

This has led some Britons to fear the Prince of Wales will become a meddling monarch.

However, royal commentator and acquaintance of Charles, Howard Hodgson, told Express.co.uk where Charles will draw the line.

When asked if Charles might be at risk of lobbying on his environmental policies during the monarch’s weekly one-to-one meetings, Mr Hodgson said: “He will be much more of a pain in the a*** than the Queen has been to any of her Prime Ministers.

“She has always very much put her personal feelings and the feelings of her family behind this absolute devotion to the monarchy and keeping the constitutional monarchy on course to support the Government of the day.”

He continued: “I think you’ll find that Charles will let them know very much what his views are.

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“He isn’t politically biased — he would work very happily with whoever is Prime Minister, but he would still be very keen to tell them what he thinks about it.”

The Prince of Wales has been vocal about his political views in the past, including the Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher — but she actually got behind his views on the environment.

For instance, in 1989, Charles appeared to take a swipe at the then Environment Secretary, Nicholas Ridley, when he said dumping waste in the environment should be completely ruled out.

In his book, ‘Charles — The Man Who Should be King’, Mr Hodgson explained: “[Thatcher] realised very quickly that the prince had struck a chord with the people and it would not be wise to swim against the tide.”

She did not speak out in support of her minister and instead began to tune into what he was saying.

His outspoken nature subsequently worked and assisted in changing general policy.

As Mr Hdgson explained: “Despite their frequent differences, most ministers [in Thatcher’s cabinet] looked forward to a meeting with the prince and usually came away at its end, even if an agreement of views could not be arrived at, encouraged.”

He added that it helped Charles was a royal rather than a member of the opposition party, so Mrs Thatcher’s Government were more likely to feel comfortable addressing his views.

Yet, Tony Blair was reportedly very frustrated with Charles’ interference during his time in office, according to extracts from his former spin doctor Alistair Campbell’s diary.

The former Prime Minister allegedly told his right-hand man that “Charles had to understand there were limits to the extent to which they could play politics with him”.

While Mr Blair himself later confirmed that he used to criticise the royal in private, he also said that he had actually found their conversations “immensely helpful”.

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He explained: “I want to make it clear that I always found my discussions and correspondence with Charles immensely helpful.

“I thought he had a perfect right to raise questions and did so in a way that was both informative and insightful.”

He noted: “I have no doubt he will continue to raise issues with the new government as he is entitled and indeed it is his job to do and that they will also find it hopeful.”

Even so, Charles acknowledged the criticism that he could become a “meddling monarch” on his 70th birthday.

He said: “I’ve tried to make sure whatever I’ve done has been non party political.

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“But I think it’s vital to remember there’s only room for one sovereign at a time, not two, so you can’t be the same as the sovereign if you’re the Prince of Wales, or the heir.

“But the idea somehow that I’m going to go on it exactly the same way if I have to succeed is complete nonsense, because the two situations are completely different.”

He added: “I’m not that stupid, I do realise that it is a separate exercise being sovereign.”

However, it’s worth remembering that the private weekly meetings between monarch and Prime Minister are held in strict confidence, and their discussions are almost never leaked.

‘Charles — The Man Who Will Be King’ by Howard Hodgson was published by John Blake in 2007 and is available here.

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