Valet who alleged royal aide raped him dies, 44

Scotsman
Aug. 27, 2005

A ROYAL servant who claimed he was raped by one of the Prince of Wales's close aides died yesterday.

George Smith alleged he was raped by another royal servant in 1989, but the claim was never proven and was strenuously denied.

His father, Peter Smith, confirmed that the 44-year-old, a Falklands War veteran who had been unwell for some time, died on Wednesday.

Mr Smith, who lived in Newport, south Wales, was a former corporal in the Welsh Guards and Prince Charles's valet for nine years until being dismissed in 1997.

Mr Smith's alleged rapist was never named and continued to work as a personal assistant to Prince Charles.

Mr Smith also claimed that he witnessed Prince Charles in a compromising position with a servant. The details of the claim remained vague after a High Court order brought an injunction against the Mail on Sunday and prevented British journalists from reporting details of the allegations.

Prince Charles's private secretary, Sir Michael Peat, spoke on television in an unprecedented move, to refute the allegations about the heir to the throne.

He said they were "totally untrue and without a shred of substance". He added: "The person who has made the allegation has had health problems and has made other unrelated allegations which have been investigated by the police and found to be unsubstantiated."

A friend of Mr Smith, who did not want to be named, said: "George had been unwell, but the death was sudden. It is as you'd expect, everyone is shocked."

Mr Smith was said to have had a drink problem and a history of depression.

Penny Junor, Prince Charles's biographer, said at the time: "I would rather believe [Charles's] word than the word of a man who has been in and out of mental institutions and who is alcoholic, and who has a history of fantasising."

During the trial of former royal butler Paul Burrell, it emerged that Diana, Princess of Wales, kept a cassette tape recording of Mr Smith's rape allegations locked in a chest.

Mr Smith had confided in her during a conversation which took place in 1996, shortly before he was dismissed. The tape went missing after her death despite extensive police searches of Mr Burrell's home.

Paul Burrell has denied possessing the tape and said: "It's out there somewhere."

A spokeswoman for Clarence House said there would be no official comment on the former servant's death from the Royal Household.

Mr Smith's funeral has yet to be arranged.