| London - The pitfalls of the digital age caught up with Britain's royal family Wednesday as Scotland Yard confirmed it was investigating whether private mobile phone exchanges involving Prince Charles, heir to the throne, and his wife and sons, were illegally intercepted.
Police said the inquiry into possible royal phone tapping had been widened to examine whether cabinet ministers and celebrities had been victims of illegal bugging. The matter was being handled by Scotland Yard's anti-terrorist branch because of the 'potential security implications,' a statement said. 'It is focused on alleged repeated security breaches within telephone networks over a significant period of time and the potential impact this may have on protective security around a number of individuals,' Scotland Yard said. As a result of initial inquiries, police now believed that 'public figures beyond the royal household' had their telephones monitored. Two men were being questioned in connection with the inquiry, one of them being the royal editor of the Sunday tabloid newspaper, News of the World. Clive Goodman, 50, was arrested Tuesday, along with two other men, of whom one has in the meantime been released. The investigation was launched following complaints by staff at Clarence House, the London residence of Prince Charles, where his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, also lives and has an office. It is also the London home of Prince Charles' two sons, Prince William, 24, and Prince Harry, 21. Clarence House refused to comment on the latest allegations, which appear to be related to the interception of voicemail messages rather than the tapping of live calls on cellular phones. The private lives and scandals of British royals have in the past been exposed by more conventional methods of 'dirty journalism.' In 1992, the royal family was rocked by bugging allegations after an amateur radio enthusiast claimed to have intercepted the late Princess Diana talking intimately on the phone to her friend James Gilbey, the wealthy heir of the gin-producing family. The recording, dubbed Squidgygate because Gilbey referred to the princess as Squidgy, was later claimed to be part of a dirty tricks campaign designed to smear Diana as her marriage to Prince Charles was in crisis. Soon afterwards, Camillagate revealed to the world intimate exchanges between Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles, who is now his wife, in which Charles said he would like to be his lover's tampon. The News of the World, a newspaper owned by staunchly republican Australian media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, has in the past made headlines with controversial investigative methods. These include 'sting' operations, such as the despatch of an undercover reporter - dressed up as a sheikh - to interview Sophie Wessex, the wife of Prince Edward, in 2002. The question being asked in connection with the new scandal is whether members of the royal family, possibly extending to the immediate entourage of Queen Elizabeth II, have been illegally monitored in the same way. Television reporter Tom Bradby said the latest inquiry began after details of a meeting he was to have had with Prince William found their way into the News of the World. Bradby, who at the time was the royal correspondent for the ITV network, said Wednesday: ' When he (Prince William) and I eventually hooked up we looked at each other and thought 'How on earth did that get out',' Security expert Mark Cooper told the BBC Wednesday that accessing voicemail messages stored on an individual's mobile phone was 'reasonably straightforward.' The indications so far were that voicemail messages left by members of the royal household had been listened to by third parties. 'If a crime has been committed, the royal family will want to throw the book at those responsible,' a senior royal commentator said.
© 2006 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur ---------------------------- | 