Charles claims not true, says servant

Another former Palace employee has come forward to dispute a claim by George Smith, a royal servant, that he saw the Prince of Wales in a compromising situation.

Simon Solari, who worked for Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, for 15 years, insisted Mr Smith could not have witnessed the alleged incident in a bedroom.

Mr Solari said the claims were unsustainable due to the strict hierarchy of servitude among those working for the House of Windsor, and also because Prince Charles never took breakfast in bed.

Mr Smith, being an assistant valet and orderly, would not have been deemed senior enough to take breakfast into a royal bedroom, said Mr Solari. He said: "The incident at the centre of these allegations about the Prince of Wales could not have happened ... Firstly because the Royal Household operates a very strict system on military lines, with specific servants having specific roles. It could not have been in George's remit to attend the Prince or serve him tea in his bedroom, that was a job for the senior valet.

"The Prince of Wales does not have breakfast in bed. It did not happen in my days, anyway. More importantly George Smith, as an orderly and then an assistant to a valet, would not have access to the Prince's bedroom. He would not be asked to take tea to the Prince, that would be the job of a senior valet. That is how the system works." Mr Solari, whose wife, Lyn, is a former secretary in Prince Charles's household, continued: "I have never spoken publicly about my service before, but I feel compelled to speak now as I feel the Prince of Wales is being unfairly maligned. I worked for the Prince of Wales as a valet, and for the Princess of Wales as a chauffeur. I worked in the Royal Household at the time of this so-called incident. I know George Smith, who used to work as one of my assistants when I was valet to the Prince.

"We all knew he had problems and we made allowances for him. I have nothing more to add."

Mr Smith, who had made an entirely separate allegation of rape against a former fellow royal employee, has received treatment for psychological and drink-related problems at the Priory Clinic.

In the meantime, Palace officials said it was highly unlikely that the Prince of Wales will give a television interview to rebut the allegations.