Revelation that heir to throne is routinely sent confidential papers comes after three-year freedom of information battle

Prince Charles has been receiving confidential cabinet papers for decades, giving him access to the inner workings of British government, according to a Whitehall manual released after a three-year freedom of information battle.

The heir to the throne, who has previously been criticised for “meddling” in politics, is sent all cabinet memoranda, alongside the Queen and ministers in charge of departments, including secret proposals for new legislation and other discussion documents that have only been released to the public after 30 years.

Confirmation of the circulation of cabinet files to Charles is detailed in the cabinet’s “precedent book”, which until now has been kept in a locked cupboard within a locked office in a secured corridor inside the Cabinet Office.

The Cabinet Office fought for three years to block the release of the document, which reveals how Charles is on the “standard circulation” list for cabinet memoranda.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Excerpt from the cabinet’s precedent book. Photograph: Crown Copyright

The released chapters state: “The documents of the cabinet and ministerial committees are issued primarily to the sovereign, the Prince of Wales, and ministers ... The need for secrecy calls for special care in circulation and handling.”



It adds: “The standard circulation for cabinet memoranda includes the Queen, the Prince of Wales, all members of the cabinet, any other ministers in charge of departments, the attorney general and the chief whip ... Ministers of state and junior minister do not normally receive memoranda.”

The government fought the release of the information following a request by Republic, the campaign for an elected head of state, which has called on David Cameron to end the practice.

“The disclosure of cabinet papers to Prince Charles is quite extraordinary,” said Graham Smith, Republic’s chief executive. “Not only because they would contain highly classified information, but because it gives him considerable advantage in pressing his own agenda when lobbying ministers. He is essentially a minister not attending cabinet. He gets the paperwork and has private meetings with ministers about policy.”

A senior MP called for a parliamentary inquiry into the arrangement, which he said made Charles Britain’s “best informed lobbyist”. It also prompted speculation that the prince uses the flow of information to help him intervene with ministers on new policy proposals before parliament or the public are aware of their existence.



Paul Flynn, a member of the Commons public administration and constitutional affairs committee, said Charles’s access to cabinet papers was “a considerable surprise” and called for a parliamentary investigation.

“He is not just a figurehead, he has become a participant in national debate and there is no control over his lobbying,” Flynn said. “This means that he is not only the most influential lobbyist, but the best informed and he is lobbying for his own interests, which are not always benign or sensible.”

Cabinet papers contain sensitive draft legislation at the stage when it is shared between secretaries of state for the first time and the papers of cabinet committees, such as those that currently examine issues including constitutional reform, economic affairs, Europe, home affairs, public expenditure and national security.

It means Charles has access to more top-level information about his pet topics, whether organic agriculture, complementary medicine or town planning, than elected ministers of state with responsibilities in those areas.



Clarence House said on Tuesday the information was sent to Charles “as part of his constitutional role as heir to the throne”, but this is likely to be disputed, not least because the British Monarchy website, run by Buckingham Palace, states: “There is no established constitutional role for the heir to the throne.”

A Cabinet Office spokesman said: “It has been established practice for many years that the sovereign and the heir to the throne receive the minutes of cabinet meetings. It is important that the head of state and her heir are properly briefed.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Clarence House said on Tuesday the information was sent to Charles ‘as part of his constitutional role as heir to the throne’. Photograph: Crown Copyright

Charles’s “black spider memos”, released to the Guardian this summer after a 10-year freedom of information battle with the government, showed he frequently writes privately to ministers with highly detailed analyses of government policy and lobbies for changes on areas such as homeopathy and defence spending. So far in 2015, he has held at least a dozen private face-to-face meetings with frontline UK politicians, including six cabinet ministers, but what is discussed remains secret.

Read the Prince Charles 'black spider' memos in full Read more

The Guardian understands that the highly confidential papers are handled by Charles and his principal private secretary, Clive Alderton.



During an information tribunal hearing in June, Lord Butler, the cabinet secretary from 1988 to 1998, argued against the release of the precedent book on behalf of the Cabinet Office, stating: “There is a very strong public interest in preserving the confidentiality of communications between the government and members of the royal household on sensitive constitutional matters.”

But His Honour Judge Shanks ruled that part of the book must be released. A chapter on “Relations with Buckingham Palace” and examples of specific communications between the Queen and the cabinet secretary remains withheld.

The precedent book is intended as a working guide to cabinet procedure and the chapters released date from 1992, but have not been amended since.



In 2013, the government lost a separate freedom of information case and had to reveal details of how Charles enjoys a little-known veto over draft legislation that affects his private interests.