The previously secret letters between Prince Charles and senior members of the British government shine a light on his attempts to influence policy – and also reveal something of the attitude of ministers towards him.
Convention – as protected by Debrett’s, the arbiter of British social etiquette – dictates that letters to the Prince of Wales should be signed thus:
I have the honour to remain,
Sir,
Your Royal Highness’s most humble and obedient servant.
But most of Charles’s correspondents sign off with the conventional “yours sincerely”. Others take a more individual tone.
Here is Tony Blair’s signature – complete with personal and complimentary message.
After a typed letter, Blair adds in his own hand:
I hope this is of some help and I much enjoyed your speech of the dinner on climate change.
Yours ever,
Tony.
Others, such as Elliot Morley, stick with a straightforward “regards”, “yours sincerely” or “yours ever”.
Ruth Kelly, then education secretary, goes some way towards following convention, signing off with “your obedient servant”.
Only Charles Clarke, then the education secretary, observed formal etiquette.
“I have the honour to be, Sir, Your Royal Highness’s humble and obedient servant,” he writes.
