Staunchly republican Labour leadership hopeful Jeremy Corbyn has made an unlikely intervention in support of the Prince of Wales.
The hardline leftwinger - who has spent years advocating the abolition of the monarchy - praised the Prince for speaking out in support of small farmers.
The remarks, likely to cause surprise in Labour circles, may be seen as an attempt to soften his image and broaden his appeal as the race to succeed Ed Miliband enters its final weeks.
Prince Charles - who has been criticised by some on left over his readiness to intervene in controversial issues - made his comments during a visit to rural Transylvania in Romania where traditional small-holdings remain the norm.
In the interview for BBC Radio 4's On Your Farm programme, he said: "I happen to think the small farmer, the smallholder, is absolutely crucial to the maintenance of food security."
Mr Corbyn said the Prince was raising an important issue and that action was needed to ensure small farmers were not squeezed out by the purchasing power of the supermarkets.
"I agree with Prince Charles that small farmers do not get enough support," he said.
"There are some big issues to be tackled about how big supermarkets squeeze small farmers, and how this can knock on to the wages of agricultural workers or producers in sectors such as the baking industry.
"Prince Charles is right to raise this."
Mr Corbyn's comments follow a recent New Statesman interview in which he said that, although he remained a republican, the abolition of the monarchy could wait because his priority was social justice.
Additional reporting by PA.
