Letters sent by Prince Charles to government ministers have finally been made public after a 10-year legal battle to stop them remaining secret.

The correspondence - known as the "black spider" memos because of the heir to the throne's distinctive handwriting - were sent to several government ministers between September 2004 and March 2005.

The 27 letters were published by the Guardian, the Information Commissioner and the Cabinet Office on Wednesday afternoon.

They reveal a keen working relationship between the Prince of Wales and former prime minister Tony Blair.

In one memo, Charles voiced concerns about Britain's armed forces being under-funded, saying they were "being asked to do an extremely challenging job (particularly in Iraq) without the necessary resources."

He also warned of Britain's lack of self-sufficiency in producing meat and vegetables, and urged Mr Blair to bring in a badger cull.

Earlier, one of the Prince of Wales' senior aides ripped the cover off a TV journalist's microphone just hours before the release of the 27 letters.

Kristina Kyriacou, the Prince's communications secretary, took exception to Channel 4 News' Michael Crick when he asked Charles if he was "worried" about the letters being made public.

Ms Kyriacou, who previously represented Cheryl Cole and Gary Barlow, used her body to block Crick approaching Charles before grabbing his microphone and pulling off its cover.

The incident occurred as Charles was arriving at Marks and Spencer's flagship store on London's Oxford Street to highlight a work placement scheme between the retailer and his Prince's Trust.

Charles did not reply to the questions but said "very predictable" as he entered the store.

A Guardian journalist initially attempted to get the contents of the letters released under the Freedom of Information Act but was unsuccessful.

After a lengthy appeal process, the UK's highest court, the Supreme Court, finally agreed to quash the ban on their publication last month.

The Government's attempts to block their release looks set to cost the taxpayer more than £400,000 in legal fees, The Guardian reported.

The letters were between the Prince and ministers in the departments of business, innovation and skills; health; children, schools and families; environment, food and rural affairs; culture, media and sport; the Northern Ireland Office and the Cabinet Office.

According to previous attorney general Dominic Grieve, they reflect the heir to the throne's "most deeply held personal views and beliefs".

Mr Grieve vetoed an original decision made by the Upper Tribunal in 2012 that the letters should be made public, but it was eventually ruled that his actions were invalid, paving the way for the documents finally to be disclosed.

Sky News' royal commentator Alastair Bruce said: "He is a private citizens like you and me and he is allowed, like you and I, to write to ministers.

"The Prince of Wales gets to visit parts of British life that is incredibly wide. I don't think from what I've heard so far that the Prince of Wales has taken on a political stance here.

"The monarchy is allowed to guide, advise and warn.

"I think people generally are more cautious about what they write down these days…"