Top judge struggling to stem woman’s efforts to unseal Princess Margaret’s will – Litigation Futures

Posted May 2nd, 2017 in disclosure, judges, news, royal family, striking out, wills by sally

‘There is no kind of order available to prevent a woman who claims to be the late Princess Margaret’s daughter from bringing repeated “nonsensical” claims in an effort to unseal her will, the president of the Family Division has found.’

Full story

Litigation Futures,

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Why the bikini photographs of Princess Beatrice fell foul of Ipso – The Guardian

Posted November 21st, 2016 in media, news, photography, privacy, royal family by sally

‘Regulator censures Mail Online for ‘a gratuitous and invasive’ focus on the princess’s body, which ‘represented a serious intrusion into her privacy’.’

Full story

The Guardian, 21st November 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

BBC journalist wins £50,000 payout after failing to prioritise report on Prince George’s birth – Daily Telegraph

Posted September 19th, 2016 in compensation, media, news, race discrimination, royal family, unfair dismissal by tracey

‘A BBC journalist has won £50,000 in compensation after he was sacked for prioritising a report on Sri Lankan politics over the birth of Prince George.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 18th September 2016

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Prince George photos breached privacy, watchdog rules – BBC News

Posted September 16th, 2016 in complaints, media, news, photography, privacy, royal family by tracey

‘Photographs showing Prince George sitting on a police motorbike have been ruled to be a breach of privacy by the press standards watchdog.’

Full story

BBC News, 15th September 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Six found guilty of corruption in relation to Royal Household contracts – Crown Prosecution Service

Posted August 10th, 2016 in conspiracy, contracts, corruption, fraud, press releases, royal family by tracey

‘Following two trials at Southwark Crown Court, Ronald Harper, former Deputy Property Manager within the Royal Household, has been found guilty of conspiracy to make corrupt payments.’

Full press release

Crown Prosecution Service, 9th August 2016

Source: www.cps.gov.uk

A judge-shaming list is bad for justice – The Guardian

‘Judges shouldn’t be frightened to set precedents. A list of those that have “gone too far” – including over a Guardian freedom of information request on the Prince of Wales’s letters – risks deterring justice.’

Full story

The Guardian, 12th May 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Information rights judgment reveals Charles’ views on the Queen – Panopticon

‘The Royal Family has been the subject of a good deal of information rights litigation. The most famous is of course the Evans saga, about the ‘advocacy correspondence’ of Prince Charles. There have also been cases about (to name just a few subjects) the cost of police protection for the Royal Family, whether or not the Duchy of Lancaster is a public authority, royal wills and alleged heirs to the throne, as well as – most recently – whether the Duke or Duchy of Cornwall is a public authority for the purposes of the Environmental Information Regulations (EIRs). The most recent judgment focuses on Her Majesty the Queen herself, and reveals the views of Charles (J).’

Full story

Panopticon, 7th April 2016

Source: www.panopticonblog.com

The Duke and Duchy of Cornwall and the EIRs – Panopticon

‘The Duchy of Cornwall was established by Edward III in 1337 for his son. There is a landed estate (the Duchy) and a title (the Duke). Edward III was no doubt unconcerned about any legal duties that may attach to the Duchy; he had bigger fish to fry. In the 21st century, however, at least one knotty question of legal duty has surfaced.’

Full story

Panopticon, 5th April 2016

Source: www.panopticonblog.com

Prince of Wales’ Duchy of Cornwall wins oyster farm scrutiny appeal – BBC News

‘The Prince of Wales’s private estate has won an appeal against a ruling that would have forced it to open up its dealings to greater public scrutiny.’

Full story

BBC News, 4th April 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Senior British judges decide if DNA evidence can ‘uncover affair’ and settle Scottish hereditary title dispute – Daily Telegraph

‘Norman Murray Pringle, an accountant living in High Wycombe, is attempting to prove his aristocratic entitlement as the next baronet of Stichill.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 25th November 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Secret ‘Practice Directions’ and Royal Wills – Panopticon

‘Mr Brown became a well-known figure in litigation circles when he sought to unseal the Will of Princess Margaret in the belief that it might reveal information showing him to be her illegitimate son. In the course of his unsuccessful litigation, it was revealed that there existed what had been described orally during the court proceedings as a “Practice Direction in respect of the handling of Royal Wills” (although there is dispute over precisely what form this document takes and whether it is really a Practice Direction at all), produced by the-then President of the Family Division following liaison with the Royal Household.’

Full story

Panopticon, 16th July 2015

Source: www.panopticonblog.com

Royal Household will fall in sights of £100m child sex abuse inquiry – Daily Telegraph

‘The child sex abuse inquiry is set to last five years and cost up to £100 million, it has been confirmed, as it emerged the Royal Household will not be exempt from scrutiny over paedophile allegations.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 9th July 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

We all had a right to see Prince Charles’s letters. But not any more, it seems – The Guardian

‘Downing Street’s decision to publish the second batch of letters that Prince Charles had sent to ministers was unexpected. The government had been preparing to resist the publication of the latest batch, covering the years 2006 to 2009, even though a previous batch, covering 2004 and 2005, was released after a ten-year legal battle with the Guardian.’

Full story

The Guardian, 4th June 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

‘Black Spiders’ case shows need for guidance on FOI veto powers – OUT-LAW.com

‘The UK government must give new guidance to public authorities on when government ministers can exercise powers of veto to prevent the disclosure of information under freedom of information (FOI) laws.’
Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 2nd June 2015

Source: www.out-law.com

Publication of the Black Spider Memos: a hollow victory? – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

‘On 13th April, the Guardian were finally able to publish the ‘black spider memos,’ private correspondence between Prince Charles and several government departments between September 2004 and March 2005.’

Full story

Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 18th May 2015

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

Treason! Magna Carta barons face trial 800 years on – Daily Telegraph

Posted May 18th, 2015 in magna carta, news, royal family, rule of law, treason, trials by sally

‘The Barons and Bishops who forced King John to sign Magna Carta, enshrining key rights such as rule of law and protection of property, are to face “charges of treason” – 800 years after the historic document was written.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 17th May 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Court exceeded its power in ordering publication of Charles memos – Straw – The Guardian

‘Jack Straw, a former Labour cabinet minister and one of the architects of the Freedom of Information Act, has said that the Prince of Wales’s memos to ministers should have remained secret and that the supreme court exceeded its power in backing the Guardian’s fight for publication.’

Full story

The Guardian, 14th May 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Prince Charles’s ‘black spider’ letters set for publication after 10 year legal battle – The Independent

Posted May 13th, 2015 in freedom of information, news, royal family, Supreme Court, tribunals by tracey

‘The Royal Family’s reputation for political neutrality faces its most serious challenge in a generation as the “black spider” memos written by Prince Charles to senior ministers are finally set to published after a 10-year legal battle.’

Full story

The Independent, 12th May 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Chauffeur jailed over ‘amateurish’ attempt to blackmail the Qatar royal family for £600,000 – The Independent

Posted May 5th, 2015 in blackmail, news, royal family, sentencing by sally

‘A chauffeur who tried to blackmail the Qatar royal family for £600,000 after finding private photos left in the back of his car has been jailed for four and a half years.’

Full story

The Independent, 3rd May 2015

Source: www,independent.co.uk

R (on the application of Evans) and another (Respondents) v Attorney General (Appellant) – Supreme Court

R (on the application of Evans) and another (Respondents) v Attorney General (Appellant) [2015] UKSC 21 (YouTube)

Supreme Court, 26th March 2015

Source: www.youtube.com/user/UKSupremeCourt