In the latest development over phone hacking allegedly made by journalists at shuttered tabloid News of the World, a former editor disclosed in court that Diana, Princess of Wales knowingly gave a royal phone book to take on her estranged husband, Prince Charles. In a BBC news report, former News of the World royal editor Clive Goodman was said to have told the court that the 1992 book was sent to him by the late British princess because she wanted to have an ally in the press and that there were forces who had rallied against her in the situation she had with the Prince of Wales.
"She (Princess Diana) was at the time going through a very, very tough time. She told me she wanted me to see this book, she wanted me to see the scale of her husband's staff and household, compared to the scale of hers. She was in a very bitter situation with the Prince of Wales at the time, she felt she was being swamped by the people close to him. She was looking for an ally and to take him on to show the kind of forces that were ranged against her," Goodman said.
Goodman is on trial for his illegal practice in obtaining news stories via internal phone books, BBC said. Goodman, who has already been convicted of phone hacking in 2007, had admitted in court that he used green books and internal telephone directories (ITDs) that contains contact numbers of the British royal family's staff and senior members of the royal household to gather stories for News of the World. His testimony about the phone book he allegedly received from Princess Diana details how the rest of the editors and chief executives of New York-based News Corp's UK unit condone the illegal practice.
BBC said the court also heard Goodman's career at the former news tabloid. It was confirmed in court that Goodman received £140,000 in 2007, which was equivalent to a year and a half's worth of salary. Moreover, Goodman told the court that working at News of the World was extremely competitive, and that the work culture was quite bullying and menacing. From 2003, Goodman claimed that he was downgraded from his position as royal editor as he has a weak relationship with key desk editors, with some who did not like the former editor.
