Prince Charles has been criticised after it emerged that he blamed 'the influx of foreign Jews' for causing unrest in the Middle East and hoped that the US would 'take on the Jewish lobby'.

The Mail on Sunday revealed the comments in a letter from Charles to his close friend Laurens van der Post from 1986.

In the letter, written after a tour of Arab countries, the Prince argues it was the exodus of European Jews in the middle of the last century that 'helped to cause the great problems' and goes on to say that terrorism in the region will only end when its causes are eliminated.

He then expresses the hope a US President will find the 'courage' to stand up to the American 'Jewish lobby'.

Stephen Pollard, the editor of The Jewish Chronicle, said: 'To me this is the most astonishing element of the Prince's letter. The "Jewish lobby" is one of the anti-Semitic themes that have endured for centuries. It is this myth there are these very powerful Jews who control foreign policy or the media or banks or whatever.'

Pollard described the letter as 'jaw-droppingly shocking', adding: 'That they [the Prince's comments] come from the heir to the throne is unsettling, to put it mildly.'

It has been reported in the past that the Prince is privately critical of US policy in the Middle East, with one diplomatic source accusing him of having 'fairly dodgy views on Israel'.

The letter, which surfaced in a public archive, was written on November 24, 1986, immediately after an official visit the then 38-year-old Prince made to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar with Princess Diana.

He notes that the tour was 'fascinating' and that he learned 'a lot about the Middle East and Arab outlook'.

He continues: 'Tried to read bit of Koran on way out and it gave me some insight into way they [Arabs] think and operate. Don't think they could understand us through reading Bible though!

'Also I now begin to understand better their [Arabs'] point of view about Israel. Never realised they see it as a US colony.

'I now appreciate that Arabs and Jews were all a Semitic people originally and it is the influx of foreign, European Jews (especially from Poland, they say) which has helped to cause great problems. I know there are so many complex issues, but how can there ever be an end to terrorism unless the causes are eliminated?

'Surely some US president has to have the courage to stand up and take on the Jewish lobby in US? I must be naive, I suppose!'