Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Royal chauffeur suspended after alleged palace security breach

LONDON, England (CNN) -- A royal chauffeur was suspended Sunday after he allegedly allowed undercover reporters from a British tabloid to enter Buckingham Palace in exchange for cash. Mazher Mahmood, of the London-based News of the World, claimed he was allowed to enter the London residence of Queen Elizabeth II without security checks after paying a man identified as a Buckingham chauffeur £1,000 ($1,591). Footage of the incident filmed undercover showed the chauffeur giving Mahmood, whose face was blurred, a tour of the royal garage and, at one point, allowing him to sit in one of the vehicles.
Buckingham Palace has experienced a number of high-profile security lapses in the past. In 2003 an investigation was launched after "comedy terrorist" Aaron Barschak gatecrashed Prince William's 21st birthday party at Windsor Castle, PA reported, wearing a dress, beard and sunglasses, Barschak climbed on stage as the prince addressed the crowd, and kissed him on both cheeks. That same year, a journalist with the Daily Mirror newspaper spent two months "working undercover" as a palace footman.

Editor Rozek’s Note:…I think that the palace needs a “Beware of Dog” sign on the front lawn. Here’s how I imagined it happening:

Cross-dressing bearded man: I’m sitting here today at the Queen’s dressing table. We have secretly replaced the Queen's MAC line of compressed foundation with Folgers crystals. Let’s see what happens.

The Queen:
(as she walks out of the bathroom in a towel- she gasps as she sees the man sitting at the dressing table) Schnikies! Alas what are you doing here?

Cross-dressing bearded man: (pause- then pointing to her towel) Oh that’s simply darling love! I love the lace around the edge.

The Queen: (dropping her towel all distracted by the towel flattery) Yes. My great, great Grandmother Victoria made it while she was mourning her first cousin/ husband Albert. It has been passed down as the royal towel since her death in 1901. It is lovely isn’t it?

Cross-dressing bearded man: Yes. Quite... Oops… I think you dropped something. Ooh…wait…Oh! Nope, my bad…It appears that gravity has dropped that. Sorry.

The Queen: (scooping the towel back up to cover her) How did you get in here?

Cross-dressing bearded man: …uh… I didn’t?...I mean…I’m a figment of your imagination?...um…no…OK… You got me! I paid your Chauffeur and he just let me right in.

The Queen: Oh dear! That is quite troublesome! You must hurry along now lad! I need to let someone know to prevent this from happening again. That boy is in trouble. The last chap he allowed in here posed as a palace “footman” and he knew absolutely nothing about shoes!... Out now! Out!

No comments:

Post a Comment