Charles letter: Armed forces 'lacked necessary resources'

Prince Charles told then-prime minister Tony Blair that British armed forces lacked the "necessary resources" to do their job, a 2004 letter shows.

In the correspondence, released after a 10-year legal battle by the Guardian, the Prince of Wales told Tony Blair of his concerns about the performance of Lynx aircraft in high temperatures.

"Despite this, the procurement of a new aircraft to replace the Lynx is subject to further delays and uncertainty due to the significant pressure on the Defence Budget."

The letter also included requests to do more to support British agriculture, and expresses pleasure that Blair will be coming to Clarence House for a dinner.

In a response, Blair outlined a number of measures the government was taking to support farmers, and added: "While the Ministry of Defence clearly has to operate within finite resources, our planned investment in future helicopters will be substantial."