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Rape allegation rocks royals
LONDON, England (CNN) -- The allegation that one of Prince Charles' aides once raped a male servant -- and that some members of the royal family may have covered it up -- set the tabloids into full swing Monday as the prince's staff went into emergency meetings to work out a response. "I was raped by Charles' servant," screamed one headline in huge capital letters. All promised to reveal new information on what one paper called the "palace secret that could bring down the monarchy." The alleged rape victim, George Smith, told his story Sunday in The Mail, which paid him for the article. The 42-year-old former valet alleged he was raped in 1989 by a prince's aide -- who was not identified -- and that the man tried to assault him again in 1995. Without revealing his name, the man who was accused released a statement Sunday through his attorneys denying the allegations and calling Smith "unreliable." Attorneys for this man also said the information Smith gave to the tabloid does not match what he told police last year. Rumors of such a rape had existed for years, and police and officials with St. James's Palace, Prince Charles' home, said they have investigated previously. "All of George Smith's claims are wholly inaccurate," said a palace spokesman. A spokesman for New Scotland Yard Police said investigators looked into the case last year, and Smith did not pursue a claim. Prosecutors have found no grounds for prosecution, the spokesman said, and "we are not investigating any further." The rape allegation came to light during the recent trial of Princess Diana's former butler, Paul Burrell. Burrell was charged with stealing some of Diana's belongings. He walked free after a statement from Queen Elizabeth II exonerated him. During the trial, prosecutors asked Burrell about a tape the princess once recorded in which a royal servant described the alleged rape. The tape has since disappeared. There is no dispute over whether the tape was recorded, but what happened to the tape is unclear. (Butler denies having tape) The tape's disappearance appears to feed speculation that there may have been some sort of cover-up. At a news conference Monday in New York, where Burrell is traveling, he said, "The clear implication was in court that these items were in my possession. They never have been." The Daily Mail paid Burrell £300,000 (U.S. $477,000) to share his stories, including that of the tape. He insisted Monday he has not made anything up. "Telling my story was never about money -- only about truth and justice," Burrell said. "That's what all this is about -- truth." But royal watcher Robert Jobson said there's another factor that looks bad for the royal family: When the alleged rape incident was investigated in 1996, the police were not brought in for the case. "The questions here are about Prince Charles' judgment," Jobson said Monday. "The police should have been called in at the stage when there was a serious allegation. The fact that they only found out later is very damaging to the royal family." (More on Jobson's analysis) Some members of Parliament are calling on the royal family to review the case. British tabloids, competing for the most sensational stories, have come forward with all sorts of new allegations. Burrell is also under attack for sharing intimate stories about Diana. An attorney for Burrell said he will set the record straight in an interview on a major U.S. television network next week.
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