New Batch Of Prince Charles Letters Released

A second batch of letters from Prince Charles to ministers about issues such as climate change and affordable housing has been released.

The correspondence has been made public after a 10-year court battle, estimated to have cost the taxpayer £400,000 in legal fees.

The new batch is made up of 17 letters from Prince Charles to four departments from 2007 to 2009.

The letters are not Charles's famed "black spider memos" - so-called because of his use of black ink, underlining and exclamation marks - but typed correspondence.

:: Read Charles' Letters To Department Of Health

Included in the letters, are some between the Prince of Wales and the former health secretary Alan Johnson, dating from late 2007, regarding food waste in hospitals and funding for alternative medicines within the NHS.

Mr Johnson writes: "It is clear that your interest in this area is heartfelt and your contributions to the ongoing debate over complementary treatments are always welcome."

In 2009 the newly appointed health secretary Andy Burnham wrote to Prince Charles to thank him for a letter congratulating him on his appointment.

He signed it off with: "I have the honour to remain, Sir, your Royal Highness's most humble and most obedient servant. Andy Burnham."

The issue of affordable rural housing was raised by Charles when he wrote in August 2007 to Yvette Cooper, then housing and planning minister in Gordon Brown's administration.

:: Prince Charles On Smithfield Market

He refers to an earlier meeting he had with Ms Cooper when they discussed affordable rural housing.

Charles then goes on to say: "I have seen from my visits around the country the real problems finding an affordable home causes for those on low incomes in the countryside - many of whom are carrying out essential jobs, such as farm workers, teachers, shopkeepers and health workers and on whom the future viability of rural life depends."

In another sent to then-culture secretary Ben Bradshaw, Charles asks the Labour MP to get in touch and "discuss various heritage matters".

The letter, dated 16 June, 2009, came a week after the Exeter MP was handed the role of Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.

In it, Charles briefly detailed his concerns about "major historic sites, many of which are lying derelict".

:: Charles On Shackleton And Scott Huts

He also hit out at "unscrupulous owners" for abandoning certain unnamed sites.

As the letters were published on the Cabinet Office website, Clarence House made another robust defence of the Prince of Wales' right to write to ministers.

It said in a statement that the correspondence showed "the range of the Prince of Wales' concerns and interests for this country and the wider world".

The statement added: "The letters published by the Government show the Prince of Wales expressing concern about issues that he has raised in public like affordable rural housing, the quality of hospital food, the preservation and regeneration of historic buildings, an integrated approach to healthcare, climate change, and others.

"In all these cases, the Prince of Wales is raising issues of public concern, and trying to find practical ways to address the issues."

:: Charles' Letter To Culture Media And Sport Secretary