The Prince of Wales intends to continue making "heartfelt interventions" in matters of national importance when he becomes king, rather than adopting the Queen's blanket impartiality on public affairs, close friends have said.
As Charles III he will redefine the "evolving" role of monarch, as he believes he has a duty to ask questions of those in power on issues such as the environment, on which he has campaigned for decades. Patrick Holden, an adviser to the Prince on sustainability, told the Guardian: "He feels these issues are too serious to ignore." Next week the Supreme Court will rule on whether letters between the Prince and Government ministers should be published under the Freedom of Information Act.
The Government and the Prince argue that correspondence and meetings with ministers are an important part of his preparation for kingship. In 2012, Dominic Grieve, the then Attorney-General, decided they should be kept confidential to protect the Prince's position of political neutrality.
The Guardian quoted another source close to the Prince as saying that when he becomes king: "He will be true to his beliefs and contributions.
"Rather than a complete reinvention to become a monarch in the mould of his mother, the strategy will be to try and continue with his heartfelt interventions, albeit checking each for tone and content to ensure it does not damage the monarchy.
