The Royal Family has responded strongly to accusations that it meddled in the trials of butlers Paul Burrell and Harold Brown. Prince Charles’ private secretary Sir Michael Peat said that the Royals were never consulted about the details of the case against Mr Burrell, Princess Diana’s butler, and rejected claims that the police were kept in the dark over gifts given to him.
The trials of both men collapsed after the Queen revealed Mr Burrell had told her he was keeping some of the Princess’ possessions for safekeeping.
“What actually happened was the police knew he had been given vast treasures. They had a list of valuable items which they had accepted had been given to Mr Burrell. It was entirely obvious that the police knew all about it,” insisted Sir Michael.
Police sources have meanwhile conceded that a culture of deference to the Royal Family may have contributed to the debacle. “Maybe the way to deal with them and their staff in future is to go in like hard-nosed lawyers, minuting or tape-recording every single word,” said one officer. “That way there cannot be any disputes over what police were told and what briefings they gave to the Royals, and who understood what.”
Technically the police are servants to the Queen, swearing an oath of allegiance, and many believe that they may have been “over-tactful” in their investigation, missing crucial facts as a result. “If (Prince Charles) had been asked had he given gifts to staff, he would have said yes,” added Sir Michael.
Prime Minister Tony Blair meanwhile called on the Crown Prosecution Service to “quickly learn” the lessons of the bungled trials, which cost £2 million.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
