LONDON — Prince Charles has issued a statement to a British inquiry investigating child abuse, saying he’d been deceived by a disgraced Church of England bishop jailed for sex abuse.

The remarks by the Prince of Wales Friday came amid an investigation into the handling of allegations against former Bishop Peter Ball, who had claimed to be a confidant of the heir to the throne.

The 86-year-old Ball had accepted a caution for one count of gross indecency in 1993, but later admitted further crimes. He is jailed for sexually abusing 18 young men over 30 years.

Charles says he didn’t realize the truth until Ball’s conviction. He dismissed any suggestions he had ever tried to interfere in the police investigation, although he acknowledged it was possible that his name had been taken “in vain.” MKH

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