Legal battle over publication of Prince Charles' letters cost UK ministers £250M

According to a report by the Guardian, British government ministers have spent over £250,000 in legal fees to prevent the letters supposedly written by Prince Charles to politicians from being published. The paper has been battling for the publication of the letters in the UK court of appeal, and won a favorable ruling earlier this month when three senior judges said attorney general Dominic Grieve had resorted to illegal means to keep the letters away from the public.

Grieve, along with the support of the cabinet, has been attempting to block the release of the letters, saying that its publication will create constitutional problems and damage the political neutrality of the British prince. Answering the question raised in parliament by Labour MP Paul Flynn, Grieve reportedly said that eight of the government departments have shelled out a total of £274,481.16 to tap barristers and other lawyers in the last four years to prevent the publication of the letters.

Flynn acknowledged Grieve's argument but sees no reason why the British government shoulders such a large fee. He said, "This denial of information by government is a sinful waste of public money. If there is something in the letters that suggests Prince Charles will be a poor monarch, then his future subjects have a right to know. The head of state is a position of great influence and a clash between an opinionated head of state and a government could cause a constitutional crisis."

The Guardian said that in 2012, the independent freedom of information tribunal ruled that the letters should be published as the public has the right to know whether Prince Charles was indeed seeking to influence ministers in the previous Labour government. One month later, Grieve have overruled the tribunal and vetoed the decision as it would endanger his position as a neutral person of position. The Guardian said it challenged Grieve's argument in the courts.

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Prince Charles letters, legal costs of Prince Charles' letters, The Guardian

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