Royals covered up 'rape', says victim

The crisis surrounding the royal family deepened last night when an ex-valet who claims to have been raped by a palace servant broke his silence to allege that there had been a cover-up. The fresh accusations add to the woes of the royal family, which is still reeling from the collapse of the trial of Paul Burrell, Princess Diana's former butler.

George Smith, a 42-year-old Falklands veteran, said he was raped by an aide who remains on Prince Charles's staff. Smith also claimed the same man tried to assault him again when they were both accompanying Charles on a foreign tour.

Speaking to the Mail on Sunday, Smith said: 'The prince had covered it up when it all happened. He would not have wanted it coming out at the Old Bailey.'

Recalling the alleged rape, Smith described how he was invited to the London home of the palace official in 1989. At the end of an alcohol-fuelled meal, after which Smith said he passed out, he was sexually assaulted.

'I didn't know what to do or who to call,' he said. 'I was totally ashamed. I didn't report it to anybody. I didn't talk to anybody about it. I couldn't tell my wife.

'I had been through lots of experiences in my life, including the Falklands, of course, but I'd never felt like that before. I felt disgusted. All I wanted to do was be sick and have a bath.' Smith added that he next saw his attacker at Kensington Palace a week later. The incident was never referred to again.

Smith, who has a history of mental illness and drink problems, also said that his rape allegations were recorded on tape by Princess Diana when she visited him at his home. 'I think she believed me,' he said. 'She didn't challenge me one bit.'

The recording - now known as the 'rape tape' - was kept by the princess in a private wooden casket. This was the same box police were looking for when they raided Burrell's home. Smith told the newspaper that the tape contained a more damaging claim involving a member of the royal family and another member of staff.

Prince Charles's senior aides last night urged Smith to go to the police 'if he had any new evidence.' A spokeswoman for the Prince said: 'As far as we are concerned it was a closed matter. It has been looked at by the police, the CPS and even the DPP. There has been nothing against the alleged accused to show that he is guilty of anything. It is a matter for the police if there is any new evidence.'

It is very unusual for a rape victim to lift their right to remain anonymous. Kensington Palace insists the allegations, which relate to 1989 in the first instance, were thoroughly investigated in an internal inquiry and found to be baseless.

Smith, who says palace staff were sympathetic and supportive when he had a breakdown, was eventially given a £38,000 severance package.