Britain is a country with a grumpy old Prince called Charles and his hobby horses

Apparently, the heir to the throne and father of Prince William, the 63 year old, Prince Charles, has been accused of meddling in Government policy and had at least nine private meetings summoning seven Senior Government Ministers to Clarence House, his London residence, in less than ten months.

His meetings had :

* focused on Ministers responsible for his ‘hobby horse’ issues such as global warming, conservation, architecture and agriculture.

* forced Tony Blair, when he was Prime Minister, to accuse Charles of trying to ‘screw’ the Labour Government and complain to the Queen about his behaviour.

* involved the Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman, who was was called to his office to discuss the issue of ‘tree health’ on two occasions, accompanied by a highly paid senior official each time.

* involved him in a a one-to-one meeting on 'global warming' with 'Climate Change Minister', Greg Barker at an international conference.

A grumpy Charles making a 'gaff' with his two sons before his second wedding :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMSzIG4a5cw&feature=related