Former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks authorised payments to a British ministry of defence official for details of soldiers killed in action before they were officially released, a court has heard.
The jury at the Old Bailey heard that the ex-Sun and News of the World editor also allegedly authorised journalists to pay a member of the armed forces for a picture of Prince William wearing a bikini.
Prosecutor Andrew Edis QC outlined the details as part of the charges Brooks is facing for allegedly conspiring to commit misconduct in a public office.
Ms Brooks denies the charges, as well as allegations of phone hacking.
Mr Edis told the jury of nine women and three men that in 2006 while editor of the Sun, Ms Brooks authorised payments to be made to an official who gave details about dead soldiers out before they were officially announced by the ministry of defence.
Cash payments
"It may concern, for example, the death of active servicemen," he said. "It really matters when it is released and how it was released to other people affected by it."
The court was told about a series of emails to Ms Brooks asking for authorisation for various cash payments, all said to have been okayed by her.
“These are emails which reveal what Ms Brooks knew when she authorised the payments and the fact that she did authorise the payments and we know from the timeline what the payments refer to and the fact that they were made.
“The prosecution suggest that in behaving in that way Mrs Brooks was involved in a conspiracy to commit the criminal offence of misconduct in a public office and that she knew it.”
The court heard that Ms Brooks authorised a journalist at the Sun to pay a member of the armed forces for a picture of William dressed in a bikini.
In June 2006, she was asked to authorise a cash payment of £4,000 for the picture of the royal, who was at a party dressed as a Bond girl, the court was told.
Mr Edis said an email from the journalist was forwarded to Brooks, which said: “My best contact at Sandhurst who has provided some great stuff over a period of months is offering us a picture of William at a James Bond party dressed as a Bond girl.
“He is wearing a bikini and an open Hawaiian shirt.”
The court had earlier heard how the News of the World used phone hacking to get stories on the royals, including a claim that Prince Harry had broken rules at Sandhurst by asking an aide for help with an essay.
Mr Edis said that a story in the now-defunct tabloid, titled “Harry’s aide helps out on Sandhurst exams”, came from a voicemail illegally accessed by private investigator Glenn Mulcaire for former royal editor Clive Goodman.
Jurors heard the story had come from a voicemail message left by Prince Harry for his private secretary Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, himself a former member of the armed forces, asking for information to help with an essay.
Royal army training
The tabloid also obtained information about Prince William getting "shot" during a training exercise in Aldershot, jurors were told.
Mr Edis said: “William found himself in the wrong place during a night exercise so he got shot, pretend shot.
“There is a voicemail, recording of a voicemail, in which Prince William says something about that. So it’s a phone hack.”
Prosecutors claim that Mr Goodman paid for two copies of a royal telephone directory from palace police officers, with the funds allegedly authorised by Andy Coulson.
Mr Edis said that the policeman, who was paid under the name David Farish, was never identified.
As he continued to outline the case on the third day of his prosecution opening, Mr Edis told the court how Mr Coulson had ordered “do his phone”, as the newspaper tried to investigate a story about Calum Best.
The court heard that Mr Best, son of footballer George Best, was allegedly targeted by the News of the World as it tried to investigate claims that he had fathered a child with a woman called Lorna Hogan .
As Mr Coulson discussed the story with former head of news Ian Edmondson, he told him: “Do his phone.”
The trial has already heard the revelation that Ms Brooks and Mr Coulson had an affair for at least six years, with extracts from a heartfelt letter from Ms Brooks to her then deputy editor read to the court.