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CNN Live At Daybreak

Royal Scandal

Aired November 07, 2003 - 06:51   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Britain's royal household is no stranger to scandals. But there's a new one that's a little bit different. First, no one can publicly say what it is. And second, Prince Charles has already denied it.
From London now, our Walter Rodgers tries to sort it all out for us -- good morning, Walter.

Help us out here.

WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.

Well, this story continues to be a tease as much as a news breaking story. But it is essential this. A serious incident allegedly witnessed by a former royal servant has been denied by Prince Charles. Now, Prince Charles admits he is the figure who was allegedly involved in the incident, except that the prince says the incident never took place.

Now, we can't tell you about the incident because there's a gag order, a high court injunction which is blocking newspapers and other media from publishing any of the details of the alleged incident.

Still, Prince Charles took the highly unusual step of launching a preemptive strike to try to quash this before it goes any further. Again, it can't be discussed for the legal reasons, so what he did was send out his private secretary, Sir Michael Peat.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SIR MICHAEL PEAT, PRINCE'S PRIVATE SECRETARY: Well, I agree it is rather unusual to make a statement about an unspecified allegation. However, as we both know, we're prevented from discussing it for legal reasons. Nonetheless, others are discussing it and the allegation is becoming common currency, it is the subject of much speculation and indo and I just want to make it entirely clear, even though I can't refer to the specifics of the allegation, that it's totally untrue and without a shred of substance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RODGERS: Now, all of this has the makings of trying to put a cork in a volcano, because while there is a gag order in effect here in Britain, the lurid allegations are already out on the Internet, at least internationally -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Well, that's what I was going to ask you about, Walter. I mean he's denying something that most people haven't really had access to yet. Is that not so?

RODGERS: Well, it's out on the Internet and there are some pretty lurid descriptions. This is a, in one sense, a sad story. In another sense, it's a dynamite story because the man who allegedly made these charges was a former palace servant. And the palace has already dismissed him as having had combat -- post-combat stress or trauma and they say he had medical problems. They're trying to discredit him. So we don't know the validity of the allegations he's made.

On the other hand here, the allegations out on the Internet about Prince Charles, assuming they're untrue, as the prince says, are extraordinarily damning and, of course, very unfair. But you have no defense against the Internet. You can quiet newspapers in your home country, but you can't -- you can't stop the Internet. And that's what is really scary about this -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, Walter Rodgers, we certainly know it's making headlines all over Europe.

We appreciate it so much this morning, Walter.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired November 7, 2003 - 06:51   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Britain's royal household is no stranger to scandals. But there's a new one that's a little bit different. First, no one can publicly say what it is. And second, Prince Charles has already denied it.
From London now, our Walter Rodgers tries to sort it all out for us -- good morning, Walter.

Help us out here.

WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.

Well, this story continues to be a tease as much as a news breaking story. But it is essential this. A serious incident allegedly witnessed by a former royal servant has been denied by Prince Charles. Now, Prince Charles admits he is the figure who was allegedly involved in the incident, except that the prince says the incident never took place.

Now, we can't tell you about the incident because there's a gag order, a high court injunction which is blocking newspapers and other media from publishing any of the details of the alleged incident.

Still, Prince Charles took the highly unusual step of launching a preemptive strike to try to quash this before it goes any further. Again, it can't be discussed for the legal reasons, so what he did was send out his private secretary, Sir Michael Peat.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SIR MICHAEL PEAT, PRINCE'S PRIVATE SECRETARY: Well, I agree it is rather unusual to make a statement about an unspecified allegation. However, as we both know, we're prevented from discussing it for legal reasons. Nonetheless, others are discussing it and the allegation is becoming common currency, it is the subject of much speculation and indo and I just want to make it entirely clear, even though I can't refer to the specifics of the allegation, that it's totally untrue and without a shred of substance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RODGERS: Now, all of this has the makings of trying to put a cork in a volcano, because while there is a gag order in effect here in Britain, the lurid allegations are already out on the Internet, at least internationally -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Well, that's what I was going to ask you about, Walter. I mean he's denying something that most people haven't really had access to yet. Is that not so?

RODGERS: Well, it's out on the Internet and there are some pretty lurid descriptions. This is a, in one sense, a sad story. In another sense, it's a dynamite story because the man who allegedly made these charges was a former palace servant. And the palace has already dismissed him as having had combat -- post-combat stress or trauma and they say he had medical problems. They're trying to discredit him. So we don't know the validity of the allegations he's made.

On the other hand here, the allegations out on the Internet about Prince Charles, assuming they're untrue, as the prince says, are extraordinarily damning and, of course, very unfair. But you have no defense against the Internet. You can quiet newspapers in your home country, but you can't -- you can't stop the Internet. And that's what is really scary about this -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, Walter Rodgers, we certainly know it's making headlines all over Europe.

We appreciate it so much this morning, Walter.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com