By: Police questioned the royal editor of Britain's biggest circulation newspaper Wednesday in an investigation of alleged eavesdropping on officials working for Prince Charles.
Clive Goodman, of the News of the World, and two other men were arrested in an investigation that began with complaints from the prince's Clarence House office about intercepted telephone messages.
One 35-year-old man was still being questioned and a 50-year-old was freed in the seven month-old probe that authorities said has gone beyond Clarence House to include other public figures - though police haven't provided specifics.
"It is focused on alleged repeated security breaches within telephone networks over a significant period of time and the potential impact this may have on protective security around a number of individuals," Metropolitan Police said in a statement.
Anti-terrorism officers were leading the investigation and police were working with phone companies in an effort to identify all those whose conversations were intercepted.
Prince Charles' Clarence House office declined to comment on the arrests.
Eavesdropping is a sensitive issue for the royal family, as Charles was the victim of an embarrassing incident in 1989. The prince and his now-wife Camilla were recorded having a sexually explicit phone conversation while he was still married to Princess Diana.
The Sun tabloid later published the transcripts, and ran excerpts of a conversation between Diana and a man who affectionately called her "Squidgy."
Britain's Press Association cited unspecified sources as saying that the recent investigation was triggered in part by a telephone call between ITV News reporter Tom Bradby and a Clarence House aide. Bradby reportedly had called to discuss a project about Charles' elder son, Prince William.
A message he left allegedly formed the basis of a newspaper article, prompting suspicion, Press Association said. Police were trying to determine how long the intercepts have been going on.
Former royal press officer Dickie Arbiter said Charles' staff will probably be advised to be more circumspect on what they say.
"If you do have voicemail messages delete them as soon as you hear them, and delete text messages as soon as you've read them," he said.
Police said they did not believe the phones of any members of the royal family had been targeted.
Police did not identify any of the three men arrested Tuesday, but the News of the World confirmed Goodman was among them and declined to comment further.
The News of the World has been at the center of several embarrassing legal battles in recent months related to its aggressive pursuit of journalistic firsts.
A jury ruled earlier this month the newspaper libeled a Scottish politician by claiming he took drugs and visited sex clubs, and awarded him the equivalent of $427,000. In another case, prosecutors dropped an investigation linked to the newspaper's star investigative reporter when a witness testified he was paid for his story.
Roy Greenslade, a veteran media columnist, said questions will be asked whether Goodman might have acted alone - or whether the senior editors of the newspaper were aware of his alleged activities.
"If they can in some way pretend that this is a rogue reporter, they will do so of course," Greenslade said. "It puts the editor under tremendous pressure."
The royals have also been at the centre of a series of security lapses in recent years, one of which also involved a tabloid newspaper.
Daily Mirror reporter Ryan Parry got hired at Buckingham Palace as a royal footman in 2003, just before U.S. President George W. Bush stayed at the palace.
In 2004, protesters dressed as Batman and Robin climbed onto a palace balcony.
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