Palace stops short of full inquiry

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SPECIAL REPORT • Charles's office defends inquiry • What queen knew about Burrell • Scope of royal inquiry criticised • Profile: Inquiry head Michael Peat • Royal crisis: Cast of characters VIDEO Excerpts from a statement issued by Sir Michael Peat, Prince Charles' private secretary, on the inquiry (November 12) PLAY VIDEO Paul Burrell says the media gave him "21 months of hell" (November 11) PLAY VIDEO 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. * Prince Charles' sister, Princess Anne, has been ordered to court on November 21 to 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 to be prosecuted in court since 1649.

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Britain's Prince Charles ordered an internal inquiry Tuesday into allegations involving the royal family and royal staff -- including claims that a male royal servant was raped years ago by an aide to the prince and that the prince tried to cover it up.

There had been growing pressure for an independent inquiry conducted by government officials who are not part of the royal household.

The inquiry will be conducted by Sir Michael Peat, private secretary to the prince, along with prominent London attorney Edmund Lawson. In announcing the inquiry, Peat insisted it would be thorough.

"Anyone who says it's going to be a complete whitewash doesn't know me very well," he said.

"The Prince of Wales has instructed me to undertake this inquiry without fear or favor ... I, and more importantly the Prince of Wales, are totally committed to openness and accountability."

There already was some criticism of the decision. "The important thing is this can't be truly independent. It will be too narrow in its terms of reference," said left-wing Labour Party Member of Parliament Dennis Skinner.

Peat said an external inquiry could be held in the future but that it was not the place of the prince's household to call for one. He said another government body such as the Crown Prosecution Service could call for an external inquiry. Peat also said the prince's household wanted to pursue the matter right away.

The alleged rape victim, George Smith, made his claims in Sunday's The Mail, which paid him for the story.

The 42-year-old former royal 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 former aide to the prince, without revealing his name, released a statement through his attorneys denying the allegations and calling Smith an "unreliable alcoholic."

St. James's Palace, the prince's London home, held its own investigation in 1996 and said there was no evidence of a rape. But it did not bring in police at the time.

Police did not hold an investigation until they learned of the alleged incident in 2001. New Scotland Yard police said there was not enough evidence to prosecute. Smith did not pursue a claim at the time.

The rape allegations entered the spotlight during the trial of Paul Burrell, Princess Diana's former butler who was accused of stealing some of her possessions. (Special report)

Prosecutors asked him about a tape Princess Diana recorded in which a royal servant described the alleged rape. The tape has since disappeared, a fact that has fed speculation of a cover-up.

"The clear implication was in court that these items were in my possession. They never have been," Burrell told a news conference Monday in New York, where he was traveling.

Burrell walked free after a statement by the queen exonerated him. That prompted questions over whether the queen did so as part of an effort by royals to bring his trial to an end before embarrassing allegations were brought to light.

Peat said the internal inquiry would look into whether there was "anything improper or amiss in the conduct of the Prince of Wales' household with respect to the termination of the Paul Burrell trial."

The queen and Buckingham Palace, however, would not be included in the investigation. The inquiry would also look at whether royal staff have sold royal gifts or accepted any improper gifts. (Inquiry terms)

Until becoming the prince's secretary, Peat recently worked at Buckingham Palace as the queen's treasurer.

"I'm not such a bad person to undertake it because I only joined recently and was not here when many of these alleged incidents took place," he said. "I'm a new employee, and have a degree of independence relating to that." (Peat profile)

Evidence in the Burrell case fueled a frenzy of tabloid stories in the UK, with competing British newspapers promising sensational new revelations. Among the reports was an allegation that male prostitutes were regularly smuggled into the palaces.

Under British law, any member of the royal family except the queen can be charged and prosecuted.

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