The News of the World phone hacking scandal is still unfolding in the U.K., with members of the now-defunct Rupert Murdoch tabloid testifying before court. During today’s proceedings, prosecutors read out an email a royal reporter obtained that said Queen Elizabeth II once yelled at police for eating her nuts.
Royal editor Clive Goodman sent his then-editor Andy Coulson an email in 2005, writing that the Queen was “upset” that “nuts being left out” were being eaten by police officers. According to The Guardian, Goodman’s email revealed that the Queen was “irritated by this.”
The Queen was so incensed that she drew lines on the bowls to see how many nuts were eaten each day. When the email was read aloud by prosecutor Andrew Edis QC, the court burst into laughter. High Court Judge John Saunders called the accusations “unproven.”
According to NBC News, Coulson would later become Prime Minister David Cameron’s head of communications. He later resigned when it was first alleged that he had a role in the phone hacking scandal.
Coulson, Goodman, News International Chief Executive Rebekah Brooks, Ian Edmondson and Stuart Kuttner are being tried for their roles in the scandal. The charges also include corrupting public officials. Brooks. Edmondson, Coulson and Kuttner have all denied the charges. The trial will continue into next year.
image: Wikimedia Commons
