Prince Charles has denied trying to influence a police investigation into disgraced Bishop Peter Ball and expressed 'deep personal regret' for the support he offered him. 

Ball, 86, was jailed in 2015 for sexual offences and misconduct in public office. 

The Prince told the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse he had invited Ball to officiate at communion services at his Highgrove estate. He said he had been 'misled' by Ball who had told him he had been involved in an 'indiscretion' that prompted his resignation.

Referring to Neil Todd, who was abused by Ball and later committed suicide, the Prince said the sequence of events 'seemed to support Mr Ball's claim that the complaint emanated from one individual and that individual bore a grudge against him and was persecuting him, that the complaint was false, but that the individual had nonetheless profited from the complaint by selling his story.

'Events later demonstrated beyond any doubt, to my deep regret, that I, along with many others, has been misled.'

Charles wrote supportive letters to Ball, extracts from which were read to the inquiry. In 1997 he said Ball's accuser was 'a frightful, terrifying man' who was 'up to his dastardly tricks again'.

The Prince adds: 'I'll see off this horrid man if he tries anything again.'

He also accuses Lambeth Palace of being 'frightened of the press' for forcing Ball to resign his ministry.

However, he told the inquiry: 'At no stage did I ever seek to influence either of the police investigations and nor did I instruct or encourage my staff to do so.'

The Prince continued: 'The true context and details of this complaint, and I now understand many others, against Peter Ball did not come to my attention until the time of Mr Ball's trial and conviction in 2015.

'I ceased contact with Mr Ball once the judicial process had concluded, and he was found guilty of serious offences against young people.

'My heart goes out to the victims of abuse and I applaud their courage as they rebuild their lives and so often offer invaluable support to others who have suffered.

'It remains a source of deep personal regret that I was one of many who were deceived over a long period of time, about the true nature of Mr Ball's activities.'