Global audience for Camillagate script

BRITISH readers - with the exception of those with fax machines and friends abroad - have yet to see the salacious contents of the Camillagate tape, writes Kathy Marks.

But millions of people across the world have already read extracts or the full transcript of the conversation, alleged to have taken place between Prince Charles and his friend Camilla Parker Bowles in 1989.

The transcript, which first appeared in New Idea, the Australian women's weekly magazine, has since been published in the US magazine Star. Germany's most popular newspaper, the tabloid Bild, published extracts yesterday and the full transcript was to appear in the German magazine Bunte today.

Belgian and Dutch newspapers are expected to follow suit.

Although Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation owns 45 per cent of New Idea, publication of the full tape in his British newspapers, which include the Sun and the News of the World, looked unlikely. However today's Sun asked readers to phone in and vote on whether the newspaper should publish the transcript. Sources told the Independent yesterday that Mr Murdoch had told London executives that publication of the tape would be far too damaging to the monarchy.

He was also unhappy with publication in New Idea. A statement issued on behalf of Mr Murdoch said that he had 'had no knowledge of negotiations to buy the tape, nor that New Idea had it or had published it. He wished he had.'

The statement said: 'Any suggestion of 'collusion or conspiracy' between companies in which he has an interest is totally without foundation.'