The Sun newspaper's royal correspondent has been
charged for allegedly paying military academy staff for stories about
Princes William and Harry.
British prosecutors have charged The Sun
tabloid's royal editor and two former staff at the military academy
where Princes William and Harry trained over the sale of stories for
thousands of pounds.
Journalist Duncan Larcombe, 37, was charged
with conspiracy to conduct misconduct in a public office, along with
John Hardy, 43, a former colour sergeant at the elite Sandhurst military
training academy, and Hardy's wife Claire, 39.
The Hardys are
accused of accepting more than STG23,000 ($A34,400) from The Sun,
Britain's biggest-selling newspaper which is owned by Australian-born
media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, for stories about Sandhurst and the royal
family, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.
Tracy Bell, a
34-year-old former assistant at Sandhurst's medical centre, will also be
charged with misconduct in a public office over allegations that The
Sun paid her STG1250 for stories between 2005 and 2006, the CPS said.
"It
is alleged that from 10 February 2006 to 15 October 2008, 34 payments
were made to either John Hardy or Claire Hardy totalling over 23,000 for
stories relating mainly to the royal family or matters at Sandhurst,"
the CPS said.
"In addition we have concluded that Tracy Bell should be charged with one count of misconduct in public office."
Police
later confirmed that all four had been charged after returning on bail
to various police stations on Wednesday following their earlier arrests.
A fifth person, a 32-year-old man, will face no further action, police said.
Prince
William, a Royal Air Force search and rescue helicopter pilot, trained
at Sandhurst in southern England from January to December 2006, while
his younger brother Harry was there from May 2005 until April 2006.
Harry, an Apache helicopter gunner, has served twice in Afghanistan.
All four of those charged will appear at London's Westminster Magistrates' Court on May 8, the CPS said.
They
have been charged as part of Operation Elveden, a Scotland Yard
investigation set up in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal at The
Sun's sister newspaper, the News of the World.
Murdoch was forced
to shut down the News of the World after it illegally accessed the
voicemail messages of a murdered schoolgirl, as well as hundreds of
celebrities and public figures.
British Prime Minister David
Cameron's ex-media chief Andy Coulson, a former News of the World
editor, is among those who have been charged in connection with the
scandal, as is former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks.
Earlier on Wednesday, a former police officer became the 62nd person arrested under Operation Elveden.
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