Queen's driver left red-faced after security breach

The Queen and Prince Philip in their Bentley in this 2004 picture. Photo / AP

A royal chauffeur allowed two undercover journalists into Buckingham Palace for cash and even let one of them sit in the Queen's Bentley, according to news reports.

The News of the World newspaper said yesterday the journalists, posing as businessmen from the Middle East, paid chauffeur Brian Sirjusingh £1000.

They got into the palace without being searched or checked, despite walking past a police officer in a security booth, news agency AFP reported.

A spokeswoman for Buckingham Palace said the driver had been suspended pending an investigation. The Metropolitan Police was worried by the report.

The Queen was staying at Buckingham Palace at the time of the security breach.

As well as the Bentley, which is used for state occasions, the chauffeur showed the journalists the Queen's personal car, a 2005 V8 Daimler with a floor specially raised to accommodate her short legs.

He also gave the code names for two of the vehicles, pointed out security weaknesses in the cars, and revealed the Queen's private travel plans for the weekend, AFP reported.

The tour-for-cash deal was reportedly arranged after the newspaper contacted the chauffeur's 21-year-old girlfriend, described as a "£200-an-hour Lithuanian prostitute".