"THE Queen has personally apologised to royal housemaid Ruby Brooker
after the servant was bitten by one of Princess Anne's dogs.
In a private audience with the maid, the Queen expressed her concern
over the attack by bull terrier Florence at Sandringham last
weekend.
Mrs Brooker, 55, had been with three other housemaids when cleaning
Princess Anne's rooms. To their alarm, all three of the Princess'
terriers were roaming freely in her quarters.
As the dogs became increasingly agitated the maids fled, but Mrs
Brooker, 55, was not quick enough and was bitten on the knee.
The incident came just five days after the same animal savaged
Pharos – one of the Queens favourite corgis – which was put down.
Mrs Brooker's husband, David, played down the incident.
He said it was "only to be expected that the Queen would show
sympathy ... personally".
"We own dogs ourselves, including a rottweiler, so we are used to
them," he said.
"Princess Anne saw her and apologised the same day. It was very
amicable. Ruby carried on working and the doctor has given her the
all-clear.
"She knows Princess Anne's dogs well. I think they were bored
because they were shut up.
"When (Ruby) came home ... she said: 'I got bitten by Princess
Anne's dog today. Bloody hell, it didn't half hurt.' But you don't
really sue the Queen, do you?"
Health and safety officials have already interviewed Mrs Brooker.
Buckingham Palace has declined to comment on the incident, which has
led to renewed public pressure on the Princess to control her pets.
It is barely 15 months since another of her terriers, Dottie,
attacked two boys, 12 and 7, riding bikes in a park. The father of
the younger boy said his son remained "deeply traumatised".
"He won't go to the park and hasn't ridden his bike since. The boys
have been to see psychiatrists. My son keeps asking me if the dog
that hurt him has been put down," he said.
The Princess was fined $1180 and ordered to have Dottie re-trained.
Original reports named the same dog as the perpetrator of the
Christmas mauling of Pharos, but Palace officials laid the blame at
Florence's door. She now is likely to undergo behavioural treatment. "
