The heir to the throne, Prince Charles, privately lobbied Alex Salmond when he was First Minister to give money and political backing to an organic food group, his own north highland food brand, a stately home, a decaying castle and a series of other old buildings in Scotland.

The Sunday Herald has obtained details of seven personal letters from the Prince between July 2007 and July 2010, and Salmond’s replies. Known informally to officials as “black spider memos” because of Charles’s handwriting style, they reveal his secret attempts to influence spending by the Scottish Government.

Reported by the Scottish Herald. You can read the full story here. 

I am a journalist and author. I am a journalist at the UK edition of WIRED magazine. In 2015, my first book Freedom of Information: A Practical Guide for UK Journalists, was published. My second book Reed Hastings: Building Netflix, was published in March 2020. I created FOI Directory in 2012 and have maintained it in my spare time ever since.