Palace sets out rape inquiry terms

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SPECIAL REPORT • Charles's office defends inquiry • What queen knew about Burrell • Scope of royal inquiry criticised • Profile: Inquiry head Michael Peat • Royal crisis: Cast of characters FACT BOX * The queen is the only person in the UK who cannot be prosecuted * She is the chief prosecutor and all prosecutions are brought in her name: regina v. ......... * Prince Charles and other members of the royal family can be prosecuted * The last British royal in court was King Charles I in 1649 for treason... he was executed * Prince Charles's sister, Princess Anne has been ordered to court on November 21 to face allegations her dog bit two children * Although royals have faced speeding charges in the past they have been dealt with via letter so Anne will be the first royal to be prosecuted since 1649

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Announcing the internal inquiry into the collapse of the Paul Burrell trial and its aftermath, Prince Charles's private secretary Sir Michael Peat listed the questions for the inquiry team.

1. Was there any improper cover-up of the 1996 rape allegations?

2. Was there anything improper or amiss in the conduct of the Prince of Wales's household with respect to the termination of the Paul Burrell trial?

3. Have official gifts been sold?

4. Have any members of staff been in receipt of improper payments or benefits?

Sir Michael, who until becoming the Prince's private secretary recently working at Buckingham Palace as the Queen's treasurer, said:

"I'm not such a bad person to undertake it because I only joined recently and was not here when many of these alleged incidents took place."

He added: "I'm a new employee, and have a degree of independence relating to that."

Peat said: "Concerns have been raised in the newspapers. Underlying it may be some matters that may well be of concern to people and therefore we are going to look into these matters."

The most sensitive aspect of the royal inquiry centres on claims of homosexual rape.

St James's Palace's handling of the so-called rape-tape scandal will come under scrutiny amid suspicions the matter was brushed under the carpet.

One of the key questions to be answered is why the Prince of Wales ordered an internal inquiry -- rather than simply calling the police - when the allegations surfaced that ex-valet George Smith had been raped by another servant.

Smith, 42, waived his legal right to anonymity this week to allege that a key aide to the prince raped him in 1989 and later tried to assault him again while they were accompanying the Prince of Wales on a foreign tour to Cairo.

Scotland Yard investigated the allegations in 2001 but dropped the matter because, police said, Smith did not wish to pursue charges.

But before the police became involved, the claims were investigated internally at the palace.

The UK's Press Association reported that Fiona Shackleton, Charles's personal solicitor who negotiated his divorce from Diana, reportedly advised the prince that it was acceptable for the matter to be dealt with by an internal investigation and not reported to police.

Mrs. Shackleton has also been described as the "driving force" behind the prosecution on theft charges of Paul Burrell, apparently convincing the prince that he should support it, PA reported.

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