Queen and Prince Charles using power of veto over new laws, Whitehall documents reveal "There has been an implication that these prerogative powers are quaint and sweet but actually there is real influence and real power, albeit unaccountable," he said. The document also contains a warning to civil servants that obtaining consent can cause delays to legislation. Royal approval may even be needed for amendments to laws, it says. Andrew George, Liberal Democrat MP for St Ives, which includes land owned by the Duchy of Cornwall, said the findings showed the Royals "are playing an active role in the democratic process." He called for greater transparency in order to evaluate whether the powers were "appropriate." "This is opening the eyes of those who believe the Queen only has a ceremonial role," he said. It shows the royals are playing an active role in the democratic process and we need greater transparency in parliament so we can be fully appraised of whether these powers of influence and veto are really appropriate. At any stage this issue could come up and surprise us and we could find parliament is less powerful than we thought it was. The power of veto has been used by Prince Charles on more than 12 government bills since 2005 on issues covering gambling to the Olympics.