Mid Sussex MP Nicholas Soames today denied he had helped Prince Charles to write an emotional pro-hunt letter to Tony Blair.

Mr Soames, the 54-year-old grandson of Winston Churchill, said he intended to rise above the furore caused by the note.

The letter, personally signed by the prince, accused Labour of destroying the countryside and compared the treatment of country people to ethnic minorities and gays.

According to a national newspaper, Prince Charles asked his close friend to write the letter outlining his fears.

But the former defence minister today denied any involvement. Mr Soames said: "It's fiction, it's a total fiction."

He refused to comment further.

Sources said the letter was sanctioned by the country-loving prince, who is fiercely opposed to a ban on fox hunting.

Staff advised him not to send it, fearing a head-on clash with the Government, but Prince Charles cleared his private secretary, Stephen Lamport, to send the letter to Downing Street in July.

The contents were leaked yesterday as 400,000 Countryside Alliance protesters marched in London in support of hunting and the countryside.

Insiders said the letter was "typically full of emotion".

The Prince is also believed to have said that if the Government bans hunting he will leave Britain and spend the rest of his life skiing.

Tony Blair is said to be furious the letter was leaked as correspondence between the Prime Minister and members of the royal family is kept private.

He believes the leak was timed to coincide with the march. Officials at Downing Street confirmed it was a serious breach of protocol.

In a short statement, Government spokesmen said they never commented on private correspondence between the Prime Minister and members of the royal family.

Under the British constitution, Charles can enter into a debate with the Government. However, if a ban on hunting were made he would have to accept it.

Yesterday's march through London passed without trouble.

Thousands of farmers and country people from Sussex took part in the demonstrations.

Carola Godman Law, chairman of the South of England Agricultural Society, said: "I went to represent farmers and farming.

"I was really there to highlight the difficulties with farming, rural businesses and the countryside.

"I do support the field sports and hunting issues, although I think that is a small part of it. Once you start telling people what they can and can't do on their own land it is the thin end of the wedge."