King Charles “loves political gossip” and wants to know exactly what is going on behind the scenes, according to an insider.

While the monarch has ditched his past tendencies to interfere in political matters – having previously been embroiled in controversy for writing “spider memos” to Cabinet ministers – it appears that he hasn’t lost interest in the area.

A source close to the King told the Daily Express: “King Charles loves political gossip and wants to be kept informed of what goes on behind the scenes.”

It comes after Scotland’s former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon revealed that the late Queen Elizabeth enjoyed political “gossip” and would try to get the “real story” behind newspaper reports.

Speaking on the Rosebud with Gyles Brandreth podcast, the former SNP leader said: “She liked a bit of gossip, she liked to hear what was happening in the political world.

“She would ask me about things she had read in the papers and what was the real story here.”

It appears that she passed on the thirst for inside political knowledge to her son and heir.

King Charles has been no stranger to political controversy and has often found himself in hot water for appearing to breach the Royal Family’s sacred rules of remaining non-partisan.

In 2015 it emerged that the then Prince of Wales sent a host of secret letters to ministers in an attempt to influence Government policy.

The 27 letters sent between September 2004 and March 2005, known as “black spider” memos because of his spiral handwriting, were released after a 10-year legal battle.

The letters revealed the heir to the throne had lobbied the prime minister and other senior ministers on the defence budget, the national curriculum and badger culling.

More recently Charles is said to have described the Government’s controversial policy of sending asylum seekers to Rwanda as “appalling”.

His championing of the environment and warnings against climate change have also been criticised, with some accusing Charles of wading too far into a political matter.

But when he ascended the throne last September Charles made a concerted effort to ditch what many called political meddling and uphold the principle that the monarch is above politics.