One of Britain’s most distinguished singers has accused fellow devotees of Richard Wagner of repeated attempts to undermine her position and “rewrite history”.

Dame Gwyneth Jones has spoken out for the first time about the long running feud which has riven the Wagner Society, of which she has been president for nearly three decades.

In the latest skirmish, revealed last week by The Sunday Telegraph, the society found itself at odds over a decision to cancel a sought-after public masterclass to have been held by the award winning soprano.

The society's committee took the decision to cancel the prestigious masterclass after last year’s event ran over budget.

But Dame Gwyneth has now hit back, disputing the circumstances surrounding its cancellation and suggesting the decision appeared to be part of a wider agenda against her.

The award-winning singer, who appeared in Dustin Hoffman’s film Quartet, survived an attempted coup against her in 2014 after fighting off accusations that she had become “dictatorial”.

She said: “Given my long-standing support of the Wagner Society over the last 28 years, I am frankly surprised and dismayed that certain committee members should continue to conduct themselves in this way.”