Prince Charles 'appalled' by Rwanda asylum plan: reports

STORY: The UK's Prince Charles is said to have privately described a British government plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda as "appalling".

That's according to reports in British newspapers the Daily Mail and The Times on Saturday (June 11) and comes ahead of the scheme's first flight to the East African country on Tuesday (Jun 14).

The British government announced its controversial deal in April to send potentially thousands of asylum seekers to Rwanda.

The aim, it says, is to disrupt people-smuggling networks that see tens of thousands making dangerous crossings from mainland Europe to Britain each year.

Humanitarian groups have challenged the government's right to make such removals, its claims that Rwanda is a safe country to receive the asylum seekers, and whether the plan complies with Britain's human rights act.

But on Friday (Jun 10) a judge dismissed campaigners' attempts to stop Tuesday's flight - on which at least 30 individuals are set to be removed.

According to Saturday's media reports, Prince Charles has been heard criticizing the policy.

A source was reported to have said that the heir to the British throne was "clearly not impressed with the government's direction of travel".

The Times said Charles was concerned that the issue would overshadow a Commonwealth summit in Rwanda at the end of this month.

A spokesperson for the royal did not deny he had expressed personal opinions about the policy in private but also said the Prince remains "politically neutral" and that matters of policy are decisions for the government.