Details of Prince Charles's visit to Poland this coming Wednesday were emailed in error in a shocking security breach, The Times has revealed.

According to the newspaper, the email was intended for a Buckingham Palace aide but was inadvertently sent to a businessman.

The email apparently carried details of where the prince was due to stay and the cars in which he was to travel.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman described the blunder as an "unfortunate leak" when quizzed by Reuters.

"We take the Prince of Wales' security very seriously and, in light of this incident, we are taking steps to ensure that email procedures are carefully followed," she said.