Queen gags palace staff

The Queen has ordered all her staff to sign new gagging orders to stop the stream of salacious disclosures by ex-royal footmen, butlers and valets.

The introduction of the new employment contracts containing the confidentiality clause for all staff, from chambermaids to the Lord Chamberlain, contributed to a sharp rise in legal bills for the monarchy, it was revealed in the annual accounts of the Royal public finances.

The Queen's legal bills, which also included the cost of fighting court battles over the revelations by courtiers, rose from £32,000 ($91,000) to £117,000 ($334,000) last year.

The Queen has been beset by a series of breaches of privacy, including a book and tour by the Princess of Wales' former butler, Paul Burrell; unsubstantiated allegations by George Smith, a former valet, about the Prince of Wales; and pictures from the Queen's bedchamber by Ryan Parry, an undercover reporter who worked as a footman at Buckingham Palace.

Under the new contracts, all staff have been required to sign a pledge of confidentiality to the monarchy for life, and any proceeds from a breach of the undertaking will be forfeited for charity. Palace officials said staff would be required to sign new contracts in three years to reinforce the message about the need for privacy to be protected.

The Keeper of the Privy Purse, Alan Reid, who is in charge of the royal finances, said the total cost of keeping the Queen as Head of State rose to £36.8 million, a rise of 1.7 per cent, partly due to the State visits by the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, and the US President, George W. Bush.

The royal finances show the cost of travel for the Queen and the royal family continued to rise from £4.2 million to £4.7 million last year. The royal train, which the Queen decided to keep after a cost-saving review, cost £48 ($137) a mile compared to only £14 ($40) a mile air travel by the royal family.

The train, which comprises nine coaches, acts as an overnight hotel-cum-office but is restricted to the Queen, Prince Philip and the Prince of Wales and their staff. It was used on only 18 journeys at a total cost of £782,000, including a trip by the Prince of Wales from Edinburgh to Cornwall at a cost of £40,605.

A senior royal household official defended the use of the train, saying it had enabled the Queen, now 78, to distribute Maunday money in Liverpool the morning after returning from Paris and an audience with the Prime Minister. "We have no plans to do away with the train. It becomes more important for her as the Queen gets older."

The rising cost of security is not included in the accounts, which makes it difficult to identify the true cost of running the monarchy.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh did try scheduled rail services, travelling twice together at a cost of £331. Prince Philip also travelled first class from Bath Spa to Paddington with staff at a cost of £195. However, the Palace said security had cost an extra £15,000 which was not necessary for the royal train.

The royal family normally fly by small jets operated by the RAF, but during the Iraq war, the planes were required in the Middle East.

The report reveals the royal household is reviewing the arrangements for using RAF planes with the Government, which could decide it would be more cost-effective to obtain a plane, already dubbed "Blairforce One", for the Prime Minister, ministers and members of the royal family.

The Queen has also waived royal immunity to allow London Mayor Ken Livingstone to collect the congestion charge on royal cars, even though they have no number plates.

The Queen receives around £6 million after tax from the Duchy of Lancaster estates and Prince Charles receives £7.4 million after tax from the Duchy of Cornwall.

- INDEPENDENT