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Prince Charles will give evidence at child sex abuse inquiry

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Prince Charles will give evidence at an inquiry into the handling of a child sexual abuse case involving a paedophile bishop.

The Prince of Wales written submission will be read out next Friday at the final day of the hearing into how the Church of England managed the case of 86-year-old Peter Ball.

Ball, who previously described the future king as a loyal friend, was jailed for 32 months in October 2015 for sexually abusing 18 young men between the 1970s and 1990s in his role as bishop of Lewes.

Prince Charles will give evidence at child sex abuse inquiry

Prince Charles written submission will be read out on the last day of the hearing (Picture: Getty Images)

Prince Charles and Bishop of Gloucester Peter Ball

Ball had boasted the future king was a loyal friend (Picture: REX/Shutterstock)

He was released in February last year after serving half of his sentence.

In June, the counsel for the inquiry revealed witness statements had been requested from the prince and his principal secretary.

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In a statement released after the request was made, a spokesman for Prince Charles said: Whilst the prince has made it clear that he was unaware of the extent of Mr Balls behaviour, he has indicated that he is more than willing to provide context on his contact with Mr Ball, as his former local bishop, if that would help the inquiry.

The spokesman had previously said the correspondence between Charles and Ball contained nothing of relevance to his offending.

The inquiry, set up in 2014, is examining how the Church of England handled allegations of sexual abuse and has previously focused on the Diocese of Chichester, where Ball and several other convicted paedophile priests once officiated.

In the week-long case study beginning on Monday, the inquiry said it will investigate whether there were inappropriate attempts by people of prominence to interfere in the criminal justice process after he was first accused of child sexual offences.

Former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey will also give evidence next week.

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He quit as honorary assistant bishop in the Diocese of Oxford after an inquiry found he delayed a proper investigation into Balls crimes for two decades by failing to pass information to police.

Reverend Graham Sawyer, who was abused by Ball as a teenager and waived his right to anonymity, is also among those due to give evidence next week, as well as retired judge Lord Anthony Lloyd of Berwick, a former member of the House of Lords.

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The inquiry was fined £200,000 earlier this week after it was revealed a bulk email was sent out that could have identified dozens of victims of abuse.

Rt Rev Peter Ball

Ball was jailed for 32 months in 2015 for a string of child sex abuse offences (Picture: PA)

Former Bishop of Lewes Peter Ball arrives at the Old Bailey

The now 86 was released from jail in February last year after serving half of his sentence (Picture: PA)

Ball boasted of his links to royalty and was said to be a confidant of the Prince of Wales, with an independent review finding he used his connections to boost his position.

Previously Clarence House reportedly said it did not believe the correspondence between Ball and the future king had any bearing on the issues before the inquiry but did not object to them being shared for consideration.

Balls sentence came 22 years after the abuse allegation first surfaced. He eventually admitted misconduct in a public office and two counts of indecent assault.

Last year, an independent review led by Dame Moira Gibb, said he betrayed his Church and its followers, adding: The Church at its most senior levels and over many years supported him unwisely and displayed little care for his victims.

It also found there was no evidence Charles or any other member of the Royal Family tried to protect or promote Ball.

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