The British royal family today launched an unprecedented defence of itself amid the fallout over the Harold Brown trial, saying it had "fallen over backwards" to help the police.
The Prince of Wales's private secretary denied that aides had ever obstructed the police inquiry into the former butler - cleared yesterday of theft - and insisted that the prince would never intervene in the proper course of justice.
As recriminations continued over who was to blame for the fiasco of the collapse of the trials of Mr Brown, and before him Mr Paul Burrell, Sir Michael Peat gave a lengthy briefing to reporters as part of a PR offensive.
A key prosecution theme in the trial of Mr Paul Burrell was the recurring question of why Princess Diana's former butler was in possession of so many potentially valuable items that once belonged to her.
Asked why palace aides had not explained to the police during their investigation about the culture of giving from royals to members of their staff, Sir Michael said it was because it was unnecessary.
"It was totally clear to everybody that the Prince and Princess of Wales gave gifts, and valuable gifts, to staff," he said.
Police held the now famous meeting with the Prince and Prince William at Highgrove on August 3, 2001, at which Detective Chief Inspector Maxine de Brunner admitted misleading the royals that Mr Burrell had been selling Diana's possessions.
Sir Michael said: "The essence of that meeting, as Miss de Brunner said in court, was that the Prince of Wales was told that the police had intelligence that he had been selling items."
Earlier, during Prime Ministers Question Time in the House of Commons the British prime minister, Mr Tony Blair told MPs that following the collapse of prosecutions against two former royal butlers "the Crown Prosecution Service are learning the lessons of both cases - and I hope they learn them quickly."
PA