Princess Diana 'leaked royal phone numbers to NotW'

PRINCESS DIANA leaked a phone book of Buckingham Palace contacts to News of the World, the phone-hacking trial heard yesterday.

Clive Goodman, the tabloid's former royal editor, has claimed the Princess of Wales sent him the book and then personally called him to recruit him as an "ally" against Prince Charles.

Goodman made the claim as part of his defence against accusations he paid police for royal phone books, reports the Metro, which describes Diana as the News of the World's "mole in the palace".

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The jury heard that when Goodman was originally arrested for phone hacking in August 2006, police found 15 royal phone directories in his home. He denies two counts of misconduct in public office, including accusations that he obtained three of the directories illegally by paying a public official.

Asked by his counsel how he received them, he recalled how one book was given to him in 1992 by the Princess of Wales. He said: "That arrived at my office in Wapping with my name on it."

Shortly afterwards, he told the court, Diana phoned to ask if he had received it.

Goodman, 56, from Addlestone in Surrey, told the Old Bailey: "She was at the time going through a very, very tough time. She told me she wanted me to see this document to see the scale of her husband's staff and household compared to the scale of hers. She was in a very bitter situation with the Prince of Wales at the time.

"She felt she was being swamped by the people close to him in the household. She was looking for an ally to take him on, to show just the kind of forces that were ranged against her, to put the press on her side. We were quite a powerful organisation."

Diana was separated from her husband in 1992 after 11 years of marriage. They divorced in 1996, a year before she was killed in car crash in Paris.