![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.declassifieduk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/GettyImages-470165475-scaled.jpg\")
\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n Charles of Arabia: How Britain\u2019s next king bolsters autocratic Gulf...<\/h2><\/a>\n READ MORE <\/i><\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nDiplomats even drew up a document<\/a> titled \u201cVisit by the Prince of Wales to Israel\u201d in 1986. Its existence is curious because Charles has never travelled to the country. <\/p>\n\n\n\nHe privately expressed criticism of Israel and the \u201cJewish lobby\u201d in a letter<\/a> sent to a friend that year while journeying through other parts of the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAnother Foreign Office file<\/a> concerns the King\u2019s \u201cinterest in Romania\u201d after the fall of its Communist dictatorship in 1989. <\/p>\n\n\n\nCharles, who is distantly related<\/a> to Romanian royalty, has purchased property and swathes of land in Transylvania \u2013 home of the mythical vampire Dracula.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFamily secrets<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nProfessor Philip Murphy, an historian and author<\/a> of Monarchy and the End of Empire<\/em>, commented: \u201cThe palace is terribly risk averse. They don\u2019t really understand a lot of this is already in the public domain. All we\u2019re really adding is thick archival description. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s why there\u2019s sort of a duty to push back against them, because I don\u2019t think officials are prepared to do that and politicians aren\u2019t \u2013 they\u2019re worried about getting honours. So historians and journalists have really got to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Murphy believes it was easier in the 1990s for him to access records on the royal family, as a Conservative minister William Waldegrove introduced a “gentleman’s agreement” to relax the classification of historical files.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tony Blair\u2019s Labour government then passed the Freedom of Information Act, which codified<\/a> a right of access to certain records. Ironically, Murphy said: \u201cThe shutters came down again because the palace panicked.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n RELATED<\/h3>\n \n \n \n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.declassifieduk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/censored.png\")
\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n \n Thousands of historic British government files censored after \u2018independent\u2019 watchdog...<\/h2><\/a>\n READ MORE <\/i><\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nHistorians face a further struggle to access the royal family\u2019s own records, which are kept in a tower at Windsor Castle where researchers should be allowed access to papers from previous reigns. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Baker commented: \u201cIt is very difficult to get in, even for me as a Privy Counsellor. There\u2019s only a small room, which holds about four researchers at any one time, which is absurd given the size of Windsor Castle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no index to what is available. You have to ask for things and hope that by throwing a dart at a dart board with a blindfold on, you hit something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Murphy agreed, saying: \u201cThey make it quite tricky for historians to work with them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In theory, letters from Queen Elizabeth II\u2019s own collection are now eligible to be transferred to the Royal Archives following her death last month aged 96.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Declassified<\/em> asked to view letters between the late Queen and Sultan Qaboos of Oman, an Arab autocrat backed by Whitehall.<\/p>\n\n\n\nHowever, Royal Archives manager Bill Stockting told Declassified<\/em> they have \u201cnot yet accessioned the records of Her late Majesty\u2019s reign\u201d and could not say when they would become available.<\/p>\n\n\n\nA Foreign Office spokesman said: \u201cUnder the terms of the Public Records Act 1958, historical records can be legitimately withheld.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The National Archives declined to comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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He privately expressed criticism of Israel and the \u201cJewish lobby\u201d in a letter<\/a> sent to a friend that year while journeying through other parts of the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another Foreign Office file<\/a> concerns the King\u2019s \u201cinterest in Romania\u201d after the fall of its Communist dictatorship in 1989. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Charles, who is distantly related<\/a> to Romanian royalty, has purchased property and swathes of land in Transylvania \u2013 home of the mythical vampire Dracula.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Professor Philip Murphy, an historian and author<\/a> of Monarchy and the End of Empire<\/em>, commented: \u201cThe palace is terribly risk averse. They don\u2019t really understand a lot of this is already in the public domain. All we\u2019re really adding is thick archival description. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat\u2019s why there\u2019s sort of a duty to push back against them, because I don\u2019t think officials are prepared to do that and politicians aren\u2019t \u2013 they\u2019re worried about getting honours. So historians and journalists have really got to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Murphy believes it was easier in the 1990s for him to access records on the royal family, as a Conservative minister William Waldegrove introduced a “gentleman’s agreement” to relax the classification of historical files.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tony Blair\u2019s Labour government then passed the Freedom of Information Act, which codified<\/a> a right of access to certain records. Ironically, Murphy said: \u201cThe shutters came down again because the palace panicked.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Historians face a further struggle to access the royal family\u2019s own records, which are kept in a tower at Windsor Castle where researchers should be allowed access to papers from previous reigns. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Baker commented: \u201cIt is very difficult to get in, even for me as a Privy Counsellor. There\u2019s only a small room, which holds about four researchers at any one time, which is absurd given the size of Windsor Castle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere\u2019s no index to what is available. You have to ask for things and hope that by throwing a dart at a dart board with a blindfold on, you hit something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Murphy agreed, saying: \u201cThey make it quite tricky for historians to work with them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In theory, letters from Queen Elizabeth II\u2019s own collection are now eligible to be transferred to the Royal Archives following her death last month aged 96.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Declassified<\/em> asked to view letters between the late Queen and Sultan Qaboos of Oman, an Arab autocrat backed by Whitehall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, Royal Archives manager Bill Stockting told Declassified<\/em> they have \u201cnot yet accessioned the records of Her late Majesty\u2019s reign\u201d and could not say when they would become available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A Foreign Office spokesman said: \u201cUnder the terms of the Public Records Act 1958, historical records can be legitimately withheld.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The National Archives declined to comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFamily secrets<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
RELATED<\/h3>\n
\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n Thousands of historic British government files censored after \u2018independent\u2019 watchdog...<\/h2><\/a>\n READ MORE <\/i><\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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