Prince Charles gets copies of confidential cabinet papers

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-35108362

Prince Charles gets copies of confidential cabinet papers

Prince Charles receives copies of confidential cabinet documents, according to government papers released after a freedom of information battle.
The Cabinet Office's "precedent book" shows the prince, the Queen, ministers and a handful of others get papers from cabinet and ministerial committees.
Campaign group Republic, which got the information after a three-year battle, called the prince's access "wrong".

The Cabinet Office said the Queen and her heir should be "properly briefed".
The precedent book was written in 1992, showing the arrangement has been in place for more than 20 years.

The book says the need for secrecy with the documents is so great that "special care in circulation and handling" is required, and cabinet ministers are handed their copies in person.
"The standard circulation for cabinet memoranda includes the Queen, the Prince of Wales, all members of the cabinet, any other ministers in charge of departments, the attorney general and the chief whip," it says.
"A few other senior ministers may receive copies at the prime minister's discretion... Ministers of state and junior ministers do not normally receive memoranda."

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