Prince Charles, the heir to the throne, tried to prevent the British government from invading Iraq as he was convinced former Premier Tony Blair's decision to go into the war was "wrong", a media report said on Sunday.
According to the 'News of the World', the Prince had voiced his fears to senior politicians behind closed doors and mounted an antiwar crusade in which he not only attacked Blair but blamed the then US President George W Bush for the action without adequate intelligence.
The Prince also warned that the Iraq war would only stir up more serious trouble in the region, the report said.
In fact, in the lengthy run-up to the war, Charles pressed repeatedly for rethink of the decision to invade Iraq. He also made visits to Arab countries and voiced his growing concern to global political figures hoping that they could influence the debate.
"The Prince thought Blair was making a big mistake and he made his stance clear to influential people and politicians. He believed it would be a disaster to send in our troops and he was proved right.
"Of course, HRH totally supports our boys on the front line. He has two sons in the military and the royal family is intrinsically linked to the armed services. This is about the decision to go to war given what was known at the time. He thinks it was wrong and made his position clear, then and now.
{{/usCountry}}"Of course, HRH totally supports our boys on the front line. He has two sons in the military and the royal family is intrinsically linked to the armed services. This is about the decision to go to war given what was known at the time. He thinks it was wrong and made his position clear, then and now.
{{/usCountry}}"He was scathing about Mr Blair and sarcastically called him 'our glorious leader'. It was a running joke," an unnamed source close to the Prince was quoted by the British tabloid as saying.
Another senior figure with intimate knowledge of Charles' attitude said: "Frankly the Prince thought it was madness to go to war and said so -- especially knowing what he and the Prime Minister knew."