Royal protection officers at Buckingham Palace were ticked off and told to keep their "sticky fingers out" after they were caught helping themselves to bowls of Bombay mix and nuts meant for the Queen, a court heard yesterday.
Her Majesty, who was described as having a "very savoury tooth", was so angry that her nibbles were disappearing that she began marking the bowls to monitor the situation, a jury at the Old Bailey heard.
According to evidence heard in the News of the World phone hacking trial, Bombay mix, cashew nuts and almonds were often placed in bowls around the royal apartments so the Queen could enjoy a nibble as she moved around.
But in 2005 it was claimed palace officials were forced to intervene after the Queen complained the bowls were constantly empty. A memo was apparently sent to all police officers guarding the palace, warning them to stop eating the snacks as it was upsetting the Queen. The claims were made by Clive Goodman, the News of the World's former royal editor, in an email to the paper's then-editor, Andy Coulson, in 2005.
Andrew Edis QC, prosecuting, explained how Goodman had suggested the Queen had been upset by the disappearance of her favourite snacks. He said: "They were all being scoffed by police. That irritated Her Majesty, apparently." When laughter erupted among the jurors, the judge, Mr Justice Saunders, quipped: "These are unproven allegations."
