New batch of Prince Charles letters to ministers published

Labour's former Health Secretary - and current leadership contender - Andy Burnham ended a reply to the Prince of Wales with a wordy sign-off, declaring himself the royal's "humble and obedient servant".

Among the latest letters exchanged between Prince Charles and the government was an inquiry about complementary medicine, sent in June 2009.

Mr Burnham's message is in line with formal British social etiquette, as outlined by Debrett's - but sits in stark contrast to his colleagues at the time, including his predecessor Alan Johnson, who largely favoured simpler alternatives such as "Yours Sincerely".

In one letter, released today from Prince Charles to then Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw in 2009, the prince asks him to get in touch and "discuss various heritage matters".

The letter, dated June 16, came a week after the Labour MP took on 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".

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

He wrote: "As many of these historic sites are often in fairly deprived areas, their revitalisation can make a big difference. Not only that, but I do feel we owe it to those dedicated craftsmen who built the buildings in the first place, and many of whose descendants probably still live in the area, to bring their dedicated workmanship back to life."

• Read: Clarence House statement on latest Prince Charles letters

The latest batch of letters between Prince Charles and government ministers includes a letter written to then Health Secretary Alan Johnson about the benefits of complementary medicine in September 2007.

In the letter, the prince wrote: "…I cannot bear people suffering unnecessarily when a complementary approach could make a real difference."

• Clarence House statement on latest Prince Charles letters

More letters sent by the Prince of Wales to government ministers between September 2007 and June 2009 have been published.

Clarence House said the letters show the range of The Prince of Wales' concerns and interests for this country and the wider world.

The latest correspondence includes six from the prince himself and three from Private Secretaries. There are also eight from government ministers.

It follows the publication of a series of private letters - known as "black spider" memos because of the prince’s distinctive handwriting - last month after a lengthy campaign by the Guardian for them to be released.

The Government and officials at Buckingham Palace had battled to keep the letters out of the public eye but the Court of Appeal declared the veto unlawful last year - a ruling upheld by the Supreme Court judges in March.

Read: Clarence House statement on latest batch of Prince Charles letters

Members of the public have told ITV News they find Prince Charles' letters to MPs "helpful and sensible" and said "there's nothing wrong in what he's done at all".

For many people, it is not whether the monarch has the right to express his opinions, but if he should be allowed to influence government decisions.

ITV News Correspondent Damon Green reports:

David Cameron says he has had "relatively regular" meetings and correspondence with Prince Charles, adding: "I think the heir to the throne should have every right to write letters to government ministers or politicians."

Speaking to ITV Wales News, the Prime Minister described the Prince of Wales as a "man with huge passion about public life" and said "I hope he carries on having the strong views that he does".

He also said his government had made the "right" decision in amending the Freedom of Information Act to prevent future correspondence between the monarch and heirs to the throne being published.

From the fate of the Patagonian Toothfish to preserving the memory of some of Britain's greatest explorers, Prince Charles touched upon a great number of varied issues in his now-public letters to Government ministers.

Lawmakers have taken the threat of today's publication seriously enough to amend the law around the Freedom of Information Act so correspondence from the monarch and the heir to the throne cannot be released in future.

ITV News Correspondent Paul Davies reports on the release of the memos - a culmination of a ten-year legal battle.

Prince Charles faces accusations of interference with government affairs after letters made public today showed him raising concerns on a number of issues with ministers, including Tony Blair.

Among the issues raised was an alleged lack of resources for troops on the front line in Iraq, as ITV News Royal Editor Tim Ewart reports.