As he spoke, the Environment Agency said the worst was yet to come and increased the number of severe flood warnings from 22 to 41. The North of England was urged to prepare up to three inches of rain over the next three days.

The River Uck in Sussex flooded Uckfield for the second time in three weeks and Yalding in Kent was deluged when the Medway burst its banks. As the band of heavy rain which affected southern England and Wales on Sunday continued to progress northwards the historic city of York was again said to be “on a knife edge”. “Wednesday and Thursday will be critical,” the Environment Agency said.

The plight of the thousands of people who have lost homes and businesses so appalled the Prince that he hastily rewrote the text of his speech to the British Medical Association’s Millennium Festival of Medicine. He said that in the 21st century, medicine would again have to consider the impact of pestilence and famine on health.

“A new danger is the transfer of infective organisms between the animal kingdom and the alarming potential of environmental changes with their serious effects on health. Some recent occurrences, such as the BSE disaster and perhaps — dare I mention it! — the present severe weather conditions in our country, are, I have no doubt, the consequences of mankind’s arrogant disregard of the delicate balance of Nature.”

While his speech was welcomed by most of the 2,000 academics, doctors and scientists at the conference, the Prince also faced sharp criticism. Julian Morris, director of the environment and technology programme at the Institute of Economic Affairs, said: “Prince Charles has failed to learn the lesson of King Canute. The forces of nature were much more powerful than man’s relatively puny input. We have had storms like these on a regular basis, and most likely, these present storms are just a natural occurrence.”

Prince Charles had intended to go to Yorkshire today while the Princess Royal hoped to be in Worcestershire and Gloucestershire, but both postponed their plans on the advice of the emergency services who are battling to bring order to the regions.

William Hague will today try to make political capital out of the storms by accusing Tony Blair of losing control of the country.