Prince Charles called 'snake-oil salesman' by academic

Prof Edzard Ernst also claimed that the heir to the throne’s concept of “integrated medicine” was a “big smokescreen to smuggle unproven or disproven treatment into the NHS”.
The academic recently stepped down from his post as Britain’s first professor of complementary medicine at Exeter University, having narrowly avoided losing his job several years ago over a row with the prince.
But he suggested that his retirement two years early was the “price to pay” for the centre staying open.
Exeter University said: "We are looking to replace Professor Ernst on his retirement with another specialist in Complementary Medicine. We will support that person to raise funds to enable research into CM to continue, but have earmarked around £234,000 to support the centre over the next 12 months."
Clarence House, which has previously claimed that the Prince had no knowledge of the letter sent by his private secretary to Exeter about Prof Ernst, did not wish to comment.

 

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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are to become 'ambassadors' for British business, undertaking future royal tours to boost the country's commercial interests abroad.

Following the success of their recent tour of North America, where the couple carried several engagements in Los Angeles to highlight British business, Prince William and the Duchess will consider proposals by the Foreign Office of overseas tours aimed at promoting British firms.
A royal aide said: "It is not something that William or Catherine had done before LA, but they have genuinely enjoyed being ambassadors for the UK and flying the flag for British business in America, and it is definitely something they will start to do more of.
"It will not always be about just going to realms in the future. They will now start to visit countries of strategic importance to the United Kingdom with the purpose of meeting the Foreign Office's commercial objectives. Just as the Prince of Wales regularly meets with corporate and environmental leaders during his overseas tours to highlight British trade and investments, so the couple will begin to emulate this approach through the prism of their own interests."
During their three-day visit to California earlier this month, the Duke and Duchess attended an event organised by UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) in support of British technology investments and the development of east London's "Tech City" into a world-leading area for technology and software design.
They were also honorary guests at a gala dinner for BAFTA, of which the Prince is patron. During the event, which was attended by Nicole Kidman and Tom Hanks, Prince William spoke of his desire to promote emerging young British talent in film and television in Hollywood.

 

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Prince William and Kate Middleton have an open invitation to stay at the family seat in Scotland during this summer so the Queen can ‘get to know’ the new member of the family.

Unlike the older generation, who tend to go up for a few weeks each summer, it is likely the newly-weds will only manage one weekend.
Prince William, who is working as a search and rescue pilot for the RAF in Anglesey, is most likely to join his grandparents at the end of August.
“The Prince has a full time job and is likely to only have time for a long weekend,” said a palace source. “Obviously if he went up his wife would accompany him.”
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge broke with royal tradition by not spending some part of their honeymoon at Balmoral - unlike the Queen herself, Princess Anne and Prince Charles.

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Rebekah Brooks' arrest is huge blow for Murdoch

Today's arrest of Rebekah Brooks, who was until Friday the chief executive of News International, represents perhaps the greatest failure to date in the Murdoch-controlled group's campaign for rehabilitating itself.

Because ever since News International and its parent company News Corporation were seriously damaged 13 days ago by the allegation that the phone of the murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler was hacked at the instigation of the News of the World, News International has been on an explicit mission to demonstrate that Mrs Brooks was innocent of all wrongdoing.

Although Mrs Brooks was editor of the News of the World at the time of the alleged hacking, she has denied all knowledge of it. And she has denied she was aware of other alleged instances of phone hacking or of bribes allegedly paid to the police.

So the thrust of News International's message to the world was that Mrs Brooks was as shocked as everyone else by disclosures that appear to show that there was a culture at the News of the World of systematically breaching proprieties in the pursuit of stories.

Lightning rod?
If she was guilty of anything, said her colleagues, it was of not knowing what her subordinates were doing.

That ignorance while in positions of authority at News International was ultimately enough to persuade her to resign from the company on Friday - many days after there had been widespread calls, including a demand from her friend, the prime minister, for her to go.

But News International was still insisting she had done nothing fundamentally wrong. She was leaving only because she had become a lightning rod for criticism of the company which made it harder for any kind of equilibrium to be restored in the business. Or so her friends insisted.

To put it another way, the company's version of what happened at the News of the World and who was to blame has been implicitly challenged in a fundamental way by the decision of the Metropolitan Police to arrest her on suspicion of alleged involvement in phone hacking and corruption.



We just don't know what's going to happen next”

News International executive
As a company executive said to me, "we just don't know what's going to happen next".

Rupert and Rebekah
Now there are two reasons why News Corporation and News International were so keen to protect Rebekah Brooks.

First is that there is probably no one involved in the business, whose surname isn't Murdoch, who is as close to Rupert Murdoch, News Corp's chairman, as is Rebekah Brooks.

When they are together, he displays a conspicuous affection for her. "Some would say he is almost as close to Rebekah as he is to his children" said one of their colleagues.

And then there is a second reason why her arrest will be a blow both to Rupert Murdoch and to his son, James Murdoch, her immediate boss as head of News Corp's European operations.

Ignorance does not protect
Her ignorance of what happened at the News of the World reinforced their claims that they too had no knowledge of the alleged scale of abuses by the Sunday tabloid, which was closed down only a week ago.

The importance of today's events is that her claimed ignorance did not prevent her being arrested.

The other point about her arrest is that it is something of a shock to the political establishment, since she was on unusually good and friendly terms with three successive prime ministers, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and the current tenant of 10 Downing Street, David Cameron.

If, as seems likely, her arrest prevents her from giving public evidence on Tuesday to MPs on the culture, media and sport Commons committee, her many friends in high places may be slightly relieved.

In the current climate of criticism of News International, there will be quite a few powerful people who would be pleased if the brightest possible media light isn't shone on their close and personal relationship with Mrs Brooks.

 

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Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson has resigned, saying he carried "ultimate responsibility" for the questions the police faced over their links to the phone hacking scandal.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson has resigned, saying he carried "ultimate responsibility" for the questions the police faced over their links to the phone hacking scandal.

He had faced criticism for his links with former News of the World journalist turned PR consultant Neil Wallis. Wallis was hired as a PR consultant for the police after he left News International. Sir Paul enjoyed a five week stay worth £12,000 at a luxury health farm for which Wallis was the PR earlier in the year, as he recovered from an illness.

In a statement he said he wanted to put the record "straight".

“I played no role in the letting or management of that contract. I have heard suggestions that we must have suspected the alleged involvement of Mr Wallis in phonehacking… I had no knowledge of the extent of this disgraceful practice, or indeed to the extent of it.”

Sir Paul said: "I may wish we had have done some things differently but I'll not lose any sleep over my personal integrity."

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Evidence has been found suggesting a News of the World reporter tried to buy a phone book containing Royal Family numbers

Evidence has been found suggesting a News of the World reporter tried to buy a phone book containing Royal Family numbers, the BBC understands.

The suggestion is the list, known as the green book, had been stolen and offered for £1,000 by a police officer.

The Metropolitan Police responded by saying the disclosures were part of a deliberate campaign to undermine its inquiry into alleged illegal payments.

The force said it was "extremely concerned and disappointed".

It has emerged that e-mails suggesting police officers were paid for information were uncovered by the News of the World's publisher, News International, in 2007, but not given to the Metropolitan Police until June this year.

BBC business editor Robert Peston said in one of the e-mails Clive Goodman, the paper's disgraced former royal editor, was requesting cash from the then newspaper's editor, Andy Coulson, to buy a confidential directory of the royal family's landline telephone numbers, and all the phone numbers - including mobiles - of the household staff.

Mr Coulson, who was editor of the News of the World from 2003-07, has denied any knowledge of phone hacking and corruption.

'Security at risk'
A source told our editor: "There was clear evidence from the e-mails that the security of the royal family was being put at risk. I was profoundly shocked when I saw them."

The source added that the e-mails were unambiguous signs of criminal activity at the News of the World.

"It is quite astonishing that these e-mails were not handed to the police for investigation when they were first found in 2007," he said.

When News International reviewed these e-mails this year, under new management, they appointed the former director of public prosecutions Lord Ken Macdonald to assess their content.

He found evidence of very serious criminal activity, our business editor said, and advised News International to pass the e-mails on to investigating officer Cressida Dick at Scotland Yard.

James Murdoch, News International's chairman, has said he was not in the picture about the full extent of wrongdoing at the News of the World until recently, and News International has denied he had any prior knowledge of the e-mails.

Leaks
Former Liberal Democrat leader, Ming Campbell, said it was a worrying development which "must inevitably raise questions as to whether or not at any stage the safety of the royal family was prejudiced".

In other developments:

The Labour leader Ed Miliband said David Cameron's version of events on his employment of former NoW editor Andy Coulson as his official spokesman "did not add up". He said he wanted the PM to explain to the House of Commons apparent inconsistencies.
The BBC understands Rebekah Brooks could be questioned by police as a witness, rather than a suspect. Mrs Brooks has denied having had any knowledge of hacking while she was editor from 2000 to 2003.
The chairman of the media select committee, Tory MP John Whittingdale, said the BSkyB bid should be put on hold in the present "poisonous atmosphere".
Earlier on Monday, Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt wrote to media regulator Ofcom and the Office of Fair Trading asking for a fresh assessment of the proposed buyout of BSkyB by News Corp after the 168-year-old News of the World was shut down following the damaging allegations of phone hacking at the paper.

He wrote: "I would be grateful if you could indicate whether this development (and/or the events surrounding it) gives you any additional concerns in respect of plurality over and above those raised in your initial report to me on this matter received on 31 December 2010."

Mr Hunt asked if last week's events caused them to reconsider previous advice about the "credibility, sustainability or practicalities of the undertakings offered by News Corporation".


Milly Dowler's mother told Nick Clegg the deleted messages had given them hope she was still alive
Explaining why he had written the letter, Mr Hunt later said: "I'm trying to give the public confidence that I am doing this fairly and impartially... I want to take independent advice, and Ofcom are the expert regulators."

Mr Miliband has demanded the BSkyB bid be referred to the Competition Commission, and said the government could not rely on assurances from News Corp executives in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal.

Mr Clegg called on Mr Murdoch to "do the decent thing" and reconsider his BSkyB bid.

Meanwhile, deputy prime minister Nick Clegg has met the family of Milly Dowler, the murdered schoolgirl whose phone was allegedly hacked while she was missing in 2002.

Afterwards their solicitor, Mark Lewis, added to the pressure on News International's chief executive and former News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks, when he said the Dowlers thought she should resign.

He said: "She should take responsibility and do the honourable thing and resign. They don't see why Rebekah Brooks should stay in her job."

Mr Clegg said "grotesque journalism practices" had led to public revulsion.

Milly Dowler's parents Bob and Sally Dowler and her sister Gemma told Mr Clegg the deleting of messages on her phone had given them hope she was alive and discussed their hopes for the forthcoming public inquiries.

The government has announced two independent inquiries into the scandal, firstly a judge-led probe into the activities of the NoW and other papers, and the failure of the original police investigation from 2005 into phone-hacking.

The second inquiry will examine the ethics and culture of the press.

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News International repeatedly targeted the former prime minister Gordon Brown

journalists from across News International repeatedly targeted the former prime minister Gordon Brown, attempting to access his voicemail and obtaining information from his bank account, his legal file as well as his family's medical records.

There is also evidence that a private investigator used a serving police officer to trawl the police national computer for information about him.

That investigator also targeted another Labour MP who was the subject of hostile inquiries by the News of the World, but it has not confirmed whether News International was specifically involved in trawling police computers for information on Brown.

Separately, Brown's tax paperwork was taken from his accountant's office apparently by hacking into the firm's computer. This was passed to another newspaper.

Brown was targeted during a period of more than 10 years, both as chancellor of the exchequer and as prime minister. Some of the activity clearly was illegal. Other incidents breached his privacy but not the law. An investigation by the Guardian has found that:

• Scotland Yard has discovered references to both Brown and his wife, Sarah, in paperwork seized from Glenn Mulcaire, the private investigator who specialised in phone hacking for the News of the World;

• Abbey National bank found evidence suggesting that a "blagger" acting for the Sunday Times on six occasions posed as Brown and gained details from his account;

• Brown's London lawyers, Allen & Overy, were tricked into handing over details from his file by a conman working for the Sunday Times;

• Details from his infant son's medical records were obtained by the Sun, who published a story about the child's serious illness.

Brown joins a long list of Labour politicians who are known to have been targeted by private investigators working for News International, including the former prime minister Tony Blair and his media adviser Alastair Campbell, the former deputy prime minister John Prescott and his political adviser Joan Hammell, Peter Mandelson as trade secretary, Jack Straw and David Blunkett as home secretaries, Tessa Jowell as media secretary and her special adviser Bill Bush, and Chris Bryant as minister for Europe.

The sheer scale of the data assault on Brown is unusual, with evidence of attempts to obtain his legal, financial, tax, medical and police records as well as to listen to his voicemail. All of these incidents are linked to media organisations. In many cases, there is evidence of a link to News International.

Scotland Yard recently wrote separately to Brown and to his wife to tell them that their details had been found in evidence collected by Operation Weeting, the special inquiry into phone hacking at the News of the World. It is believed that this refers to handwritten notes kept by Mulcaire, which were seized by police in August 2006 and never previously investigated. Brown last year asked Scotland Yard if there was evidence that he had been targeted by the private investigator and was told there was none.

Journalists who have worked at News International say they believe that Brown's personal bank account was accessed on several occasions when he was chancellor of the exchequer. An internal inquiry by Abbey National's fraud department found that during January 2000, somebody acting on behalf of the Sunday Times contacted their Bradford call centre six times, posing as Brown, and succeeded in extracting details from his account.

Abbey National's senior lawyer sent a summary of their findings to the editor of the Sunday Times, John Witherow, concluding: "On the basis of these facts and inquiries, I am drawn to the conclusion that someone from the Sunday Times or acting on its behalf has masqueraded as Mr Brown for the purpose of obtaining information from Abbey National by deception."

Abbey National were not able to identify the bogus caller who tricked their staff. It is a matter of public record that a Sunday Times reporter frequently used the services of a former actor, John Ford, who specialised in "blagging" confidential data from banks, phone companies and the Inland Revenue (now HM Revenue & Customs).

Also in January 2000, one of the paper's reporters used a conman named Barry Beardall, who was subsequently jailed for fraud, to trick staff at Brown's solicitors, Allen & Overy, into handing over details from his personal file. A tape made by Beardall at the time reveals that he claimed to be an accountant from the "Dealson group of companies" and that they were interested in buying Brown's flat. Beardall also practised trickery in an attempt to provide Sunday Times stories about Blair, the then prime minister, and Labour's candidate for the mayor of London, Frank Dobson.

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Rupert Murdoch's now defunct News of the World tabloid allegedly paid British royal protection officers for details about Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the royal family

Rupert Murdoch's now defunct News of the World tabloid allegedly paid British royal protection officers for details about Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the royal family, reports said Monday.
An internal inquiry at News International, the British newspaper arm of Murdoch's empire, found emails that included requests by a reporter for money to pay police in the royal protection branch, the BBC and other media said.
London's Metropolitan Police, which is leading inquiries into phone hacking and allegations of corruption at the tabloid, said the reports were part of a "deliberate campaign to undermine the investigation".
Buckingham Palace refused to comment on the claims when contacted by AFP.
The reports came a day after the News of the World printed its last edition following Murdoch's decision to close it amid the allegations over its conduct.
The BBC alleged that one email from the News of the World suggests the newspaper's then-royal editor Clive Goodman asked for cash from the editor at the time, Andy Coulson, to buy a secret directory of royal landline numbers.
The email implies that a royal protection officer wanted £1,000 (1,125 euros, $1,604) for it, the broadcaster said.
London's Evening Standard newspaper said the information also included tips about the movements and activities of the queen, her husband Prince Philip and royal staff.
Coulson and Goodman were both arrested and bailed on Friday over the alleged activities of the News of the World.
Goodman was jailed in 2007 for hacking phones, including those of members of the royal family, and Coulson resigned immediately afterwards, although Coulson denied all knowledge of the illegal practice.
Coulson went on to become British Prime Minister David Cameron's media chief, until he quit that job in January.
Scotland Yard, which has faced criticism for its handling of the phone hacking row, expressed dismay that the new information had become public.
"It is our belief that information that has appeared in the media today is part of a deliberate campaign to undermine the investigation into the alleged payments by corrupt journalists to corrupt police officers and divert attention from elsewhere," it said in a statement.

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