Prince Charles is said to be ordering a formal inquiry into the rape allegations.
Prince orders rape case inquiry
Tuesday, November 12, 2002 Posted: 1:15 PM EST (1815 GMT)
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Prince Charles has ordered an internal review, to be conducted by the private secretary of the heir to Britain's throne, into the collapse of the Paul Burrell theft trial and its aftermath, St. James's Palace said.
Sir Michael Peat will look into allegations that a royal servant was the victim of homosexual rape by an aide to the heir to the British throne, and that it was covered up.
But the queen -- who came forward with crucial information that led to claims that the royal family intervened to prevent embarrassing revelations emerging when Burrell gave evidence -- will not herself be a "witness" in Sir Michael's review as Buckingham Palace said he already knew her side of the story.
The palace inquiry, expected to publish its report for public consumption by Christmas, will also look at the sale of royal gifts by palace staff which has been widely reported in the British press.
CNN's royal commentator Robert Jobson said that for the royal family the inquiry would be "embarrassing to say the least."
The allegations were brought into the public spotlight amid the recent trial of Burrell, Princess Diana's former butler.
Burrell walked free after a statement made by the queen exonerated him. That has prompted questions over whether the queen had withheld information she should have shared earlier -- something an independent inquiry may also look into.
Evidence given in the Burrell case fuelled a frenzy of tabloid stories in the UK, with competing British newspapers promising sensational new revelations. Among the reports is an allegation that male prostitutes were regularly smuggled into the palaces.
Of most concern to the royal family, Jobson said, are the allegations of rape.
"They're hugely damaging," he said. That's partly because the royals held their own investigation in 1996, which they said found no evidence of a rape, but they did not bring in the police at the time.
"There must be some degree of truth in the allegations there was a cover-up," Jobson said, "because there was only an internal investigation."
Under British law, a member of the royal family can be charged and prosecuted -- except for the queen.
The alleged rape victim, George Smith, made his claims in The Mail on Sunday, which paid him for the story. The 42-year-old former valet said he was raped in 1989 by a prince's aide -- who was not identified in the article -- and that the man tried to assault him again in 1995. Smith said Prince Charles "covered it up."
The accused man, without revealing his name, released a statement through his attorneys denying the allegations and calling Smith an "unreliable alcoholic."
Police learned of the rape allegations last year, and held an investigation that concluded in early 2002. They spoke with Smith, but he did not pursue a claim. After Smith's allegations were published on Sunday, a Scotland Yard spokesman said prosecutors had found no grounds for prosecution, and unless Smith comes forward with new evidence "we are not investigating any further."
Lawyers for the man accused said the information Smith gave to The Mail on Sunday did not fully match what he told police.
During Burrell's trial, prosecutors asked him about a tape Princess Diana once recorded in which a royal servant described the alleged rape. The tape has since disappeared. There is no dispute over whether the tape was recorded, but what happened to it is not clear.
The tape's disappearance feeds speculation that there may have been a cover-up.
At a news conference Monday in New York, where Burrell was travelling, he said, "The clear implication was in court that these items were in my possession. They never have been."
After Burrell's trial ended, he was paid £300,000 ($477,000) by the Daily Mirror to share his stories, including that of the tape. He insisted Monday he has not made anything up.
"Telling my story was never about money -- only about truth and justice," Burrell said. "That's what all this is about -- truth."
But Jobson says Burrell has severely damaged his credibility after sharing intimate stories about Diana with the Daily Mirror and scheduling an interview with a major U.S. television network airing next week.
People who want to know the truth about the recent allegations, Jobson said, are looking forward to the inquiry.
ABOVE THE LAW
* The queen is the only person in the UK who cannot be prosecuted
* She is the chief prosecutor and all prosecutions are brought in her name: regina v. .........
* Prince Charles and other members of the royal family can be prosecuted
* The last British royal in court was King Charles I in 1649 for treason... he was executed
* Charles's sister, Princess Anne has been ordered to court on November 21to face allegations her dog bit two children
* Although royals have faced speeding charges in the past they have been dealt with via letter so Anne will be the first royal in court since 1649
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http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe...als/index.html