Get ready for King Charles, the monarch who speaks his mind | Simon Jenkins

He has described as appalling' the Tories' plans to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda. Don't expect him to change

The government's decision to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda faces more serious opposition than from the Prince of Wales. It has come from international lawyers, Amnesty International, civil service unions, the weight of liberal opinion and now the court of appeal. Even so, for the prince to reportedly declare the prime minister's policy on migration to be appalling" is unusual. Is it significant?

The answer is no. A mountain of constitutional pomposity envelops Britain's monarchy, as if stepping an inch out of line presages a republican coup. Prince Charles is not the monarch and even if he were, he would have no power over policy. He may generate a headline or two when an aide or friend breaks confidence in anonymous collusion with a newspaper. In the Rwanda case, widespread support for the prince is due to the fact that many people happen to agree with him. But anyway - so what?

Simon Jenkins is a Guardian columnist