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Queen to set rules for working royals
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From The Times April 9
THE Queen authorised an unprecedented review of the commercial affairs of working royals yesterday to ensure that there is no repeat of the furore over the Countess of Wessex's taped indiscretions.
The Queen was said to be furious at the embarrassing revelations contained in the publication of the conversations of the Countess and her business partner, Murray Harkin, with a fake Arab sheikh working for a tabloid newspaper.
The announcement came after high-level discussions between senior royals including the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal and their advisers. One senior royal official said last night: “We are talking weeks not months for this inquiry. The Queen is the driving force behind it.”
The Queen is prepared to consider the appointment of an outsider to chair the investigation, which would be an extraordinary move, out of character for the Palace. A senior judge or former civil servant could be asked to take on the inquiry. Lord Luce, the Lord Chamberlain, has been instructed by the Queen to deliver a conclusion as soon as possible.
While the Queen in a statement signalled her support for the Earl and Countess of Wessex continuing their professional careers, the inquiry could mean that the Countess will have to give up the public relations business that is at the centre of the current controversy. It could also call into question the future of the film production company run by Prince Edward.
When the new rules come into force they will be the first of their kind, will apply to all working royals and will be passed down to the next generation of royals, such as the daughters of the Duke of York.
“The terms of reference (of the inquiry) have not been set but it should be as open and as thorough as possible if we are to be seen to be responding to the demand for change,”a senior royal official said.
At the end of one of the most torrid weeks for the royals since the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, it was announced that the Countess was stepping down from her role as chairman of R-JH Public Relations. In a personal statement the Countess said: “I am deeply distressed by the carrying out of an entrapment operation on me and my business but I also much regret my own misjudgment in succumbing to that subterfuge.
“This has been a difficult time for me. I take very seriously the issues raised and, naturally, regret any embarrassment above all to the Queen.”
The Queen insisted on the move after the tapes exposed the Countess to the charge that her company had exploited her royal name for profit. Both the Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal telephoned the Queen, who is at Windsor, to express their anger at the damage inflicted on the family by the Countess's behaviour.
“They did not need to stiffen her resolve. The Queen was already determined on her course,” one royal official said last night.
Mr Harkin resigned from the company after he was recorded admitting taking drugs, offering to arrange gay sex parties for clients and calling into doubt the Earl of Wessex's sexuality. The resignation came after the Countess had telephoned him.
The review was partly a tactical move by the Palace to head off any move by the Labour Party to impose reform on the Royal Family.
Countess: quitting firm
Not amused: the Queen riding in the grounds of Windsor Castle at the weekend
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