THE former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey of Clifton, has written to Camilla Parker Bowles to explain why he disclosed details of their secret meetings to The Times.

The Prince of Wales and Mrs Parker Bowles are said to be astonished and saddened by what they see as a violation of trust.

Lord Carey said yesterday that he has written to Mrs Parker Bowles explaining his decision to include details of their meetings in his memoirs, Know the Truth, published today. He denied that the letter contained an apology for the apparent breach of confidence.

“I hope Camilla is not distressed. She is a friend,” he said. “I have written a letter to her and if there are apologies to be made, I will make them, of course, but I don’t think there are.”

There is growing concern among senior churchmen that Lord Carey has not only released details of private pastoral conversations but also appears to be interfering in matters that are the province of the present Archbishop. He has been accused of betraying Mrs Parker Bowles to promote his book.

“How on earth can anyone, let alone a member of the Royal Family, ever trust a priest to keep a confidence again?” the Dean of Southwark, the Very Rev Colin Slee, said.

There has been no contact between Clarence House and Lord Carey’s office since the revelations became public.

A Clarence House official described a mood of astonishment and disappointment that the former Archbishop has revealed details of private conversations with the Prince of Wales and Mrs Parker Bowles. The official said: “We shrugged our shoulders and decided we just have to get on with it. We do not want to make an issue of it.” Asked about the contents of Lord Carey’s letter to Mrs Parker Bowles, the official added: “That is a private matter and we do not comment on private matters.”

Lord Carey revealed last week that he met Mrs Parker Bowles privately after details of her relationship with the Prince of Wales became public. He said he was concerned that she was being portrayed as an “ogre” by the media. Yesterday, Lord Carey repeated his view that the couple should be allowed to marry.

It was “absolutely right” that the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, the post the Prince will inherit, should be married, Dr Carey said. “The present position is eventually unsustainable,” he added. He suggested that the couple would choose a simple church service rather than a Westminster Abbey ceremony. He insisted that the Prince would have to admit the error of his ways before marrying his mistress, and attacked Diana, Princess of Wales, saying that she was selfish and fixated on her own problems.

Lord Carey also revealed yesterday that while he had submitted chapters about the Queen to Buckingham Palace before publication, he had not consulted the Prince or Mrs Parker Bowles.

He said that he had arranged to meet Mrs Parker Bowles at his son’s house in London after the death of the Princess. Recalling the meeting, he said: “Camilla is a no-nonsense lady, tough and reliable with an intuitive understanding of Charles’s role in our society. She will be splendid as a consort for a king.”

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