[Happy2BMe]

No wonder Lady Dianne quit going places with him in public.

[Happy2BMe]

PRINCE CHARLES: Royals in crisis

Tale of the tape

1995 The News of the World reveals that Prince Charles's under-valet George Smith told Princess Diana he had been raped by one of his boss's gay servants. He was afraid to tell police because the rapist was "too powerful". Courtiers say Charles and Diana are helping Smith with treatment for mental problems.

1996 Diana makes a tape recording of Smith's allegation. During the interview he makes a further shocking claim about an incident involving Prince Charles and a servant. St James's Palace investigates the rape claim but finds no evidence to call in police. Details of the rape tape emerge through friends of Diana.

NOV 2000 Police arrest Diana's former butler Harold Brown over allegations of theft from Kensington Palace. The charges are later dropped. The existence of the rape tape becomes more widely known among royal reporters and others and there is renewed speculation about exactly what it contains.

JAN 2001 Diana's one-time "rock", butler Paul Burrell, is arrested on charges of theft from her palace apartment. He gives detectives full details of the rape tape but denies he has it. The box in which it was kept by Diana cannot be found. Police investigate rape claim but do not find sufficient evidence.

NOV 2002 The Burrell trial is abandoned before he can give evidence about the secret rape tape from the Old Bailey dock. George Smith goes public with his sex assault claims—and hints at a "shocking incident" involving a royal and a servant. Legal reasons prevent full disclosure of his claims.

MAR 2003 Investigation into Charles's office, set up after the Burrell trial fiasco, is highly critical of the way the prince allowed the rape allegation to be handled. Smith then goes public again to condemn the inquiry by Sir Michael Peat, saying it had failed to deal with his claims properly.

OCT 2003 During interviews to promote his book, Burrell claims Diana told him the contents of the tape, but he doesn't know where it is. He says: "Whatever is on the tape I will never tell anyone." Smith again hints at the bombshell about a senior royal and a servant.

1 NOV 2003 Prince Charles's one-time closest aide, Michael Fawcett, obtains an injunction against a newspaper banning an unnamed aide from telling his story. Reports of the court ban spark off speculation which immediately goes right around the world on the internet.

3 NOV 2003 Fawcett's legal team injuncts another newspaper planning to name him as the servant who obtained the original injunction. This serves only to fuel the worldwide controversy surrounding the affair and increases pressure on Charles and his aides to issue a statement.

6 NOV 2003 The second injunction is successfully challenged and lifted. Fawcett is now identified as the man behind the gagging orders. Charles's most senior aide, private secretary Sir Michael Peat, goes public, identifying the prince as the top royal involved in the alleged "incident"—but denying it ever happened.

7 NOV 2003 Despite the standing injunction, details of the "incident" are published worldwide on the Internet and in foreign newspapers. Prince Charles holds crisis talks with both Prince William and the Queen and prepares to release his doomsday weapon, a revealing TV interview.

[joesnuffy]

No wonder Lady Dianne quit going places with him in public.

Dianne has been effectively silenced

[gingerky]

(Yesterday the prince demonstrated how much he relies on his servants— demanding an aide remove his shoes before a Muslim meal in Oman.)

Did the prince have the servant remove the prince's shoes or the servant's own shoes? I'm reading it as the prince making the servant remove the prince's shoes - pathetic.

[CatoRenasci]

If Charles Windsor (nee Saxe-Coeburg-Gotha) has any concern for Britain, or for the monarchy beyond himself, he will remove himself from the succession to the throne in favor of his son William, let William become Prince of Wales, accept a royal Dukedom, and retire from public life altogether.

Otherwise, the Germans whom Anne Stuart agreed would succeed her in the Act of Settlement (1701) are through. I'm not sure there is any family with royal blood in England commanding sufficient respect to save the monarchy in that event.

[Salman]

Is the scandal that he's gay, or that he did it with a servant?

[Hatteras]

Well, she knew something...

heh, heh, heh...

[The Iguana]

I get the feeling the succession would do well to skip Prince Charles.

[isthisnickcool]

Exclusive photo of Prince Charles having "same sex". WARNING! GRAPHIC CONTENT!

[OldFriend]

The hysterical reaction to this story certainly seems over the top.

[Hildy]

If anything, Lady Di TURNED him gay. She seems to have that effect on people. Oh go ahead...flame away..

[Hildy]

If anything, Lady Di TURNED him gay. She seems to have that effect on people. Oh go ahead...flame away..

[Revolting cat!]

Lady Diana sez he's AC!

[Revolting cat!]

Does this look like a gay blade?

[Billthedrill]

Hmm...ya gotta wonder...

or

[AxelPaulsenJr]

The man who would be Queen, errrrr, King.

[Flashman_at_the_charge]

Well, diddling Camilla could count as having sex with a man I suppose.

[aristeides]

Bush is about to spend three days at Buckingham Palace: Yard fury over Bush visit. I wonder if the royals will be there at the time.

[marshmallow]

Over the past 15 or so years, I've had the distinct impression that I've been watching the gradual but inexorable destruction of the British monarchy, in slow motion. This is a most unusual situation where sex, sleeze and scandal meets system of government.

Although the personal/family issues per se hold little interest for me, there is a definite erosion of the British system of government occuring as a result, so it's hard not to stand and stare at this spectacle as it unfolds, a little like a train wreck in slow motion. The house of Windsor is imploding. I rather see the fire and destruction of Windsor Castle in '92 as a metaphor for the future fate of the British monarchy.

The observant will also have noted the parallel scandals and chaos besetting that other pillar of the British establishment, the Church of England. The monarchy and C of E are made for each other. The simultaneous upheaval in both is a sign that Britain is in for some difficult times.

[Aliska]

This reminds me of the peepot dome scandals.