Appeal Court ruling opens door to publication of Prince Charles letters
An Appeal Court ruling that attorney general Dominic Grieve acted unlawfully over a decision to block the publication of letters penned by Prince Charles to government ministers has been seized on by the media as a watershed decision which clears the road for their publication.
It is the first time that anyone has successfully challenged the attorney general’s powers to block access to information and has been welcomed by the media who have thus far been stifled on reporting the full details of political lobbying by the heir to the throne.
A Guardian News & Media spokesperson welcomed the decision, saying: "The public has a right to know if the heir to the throne is advocating policy or promoting causes to government ministers. We welcome today's appeal court judgment finding that it was wrong to block the release of the letters. We hope the Attorney General will recognise he has reached the end of the legal road and that government departments will now publish the correspondence so that the public can judge for themselves."