Royals ‘troubled’ by Coulson employment says Bryant
By Phil ScullionFollow @PhilScullion
Chris Bryant has said that "very senior people at Buckingham Palace" were concerned about David Cameron's decision to hire Andy Coulson.
Speaking on BBC News the Labour MP said that there were "certainly attempts" made to ensure the prime minister knew of the royal family's concerns, according to his source.
The information apparently came from a "very good source" but an indirect one, Mr Bryant said.
He added: "The Queen's grandchildren had their phones hacked. And quite probably other members of the royal household … I think it would be perfectly natural for very senior members of the royal family to be very troubled about the appointment."
The initial rumblings of the phone-hacking scandal centred on former News of the World Royal editor Clive Goodman's 2006 article about Prince William.
A Palace spokesman said: "On no occasion did any officials from Buckingham Palace raise concerns to Downing Street and indeed it is outrageous to suggest this."
However this denial does not cover conversations between Downing Street and members of the royal family or officials working in other Royal households.
