Royal chauffeur suspended in Buckingham Palace security scare

May 24, 2009, 13:20 GMT

London - A chauffeur for the British queen has been suspended, Buckingham Palace announced Sunday, after newspaper allegations that he allowed undercover reporters to inspect royal vehicles in return for money.

Brian Sirjusingh was reportedly paid 1,000 pounds (1,588 dollars) by two journalists posing as rich Middle Eastern businessmen to enter Buckingham Palace without security checks.

The pair then allegedly looked at various royal vehicles, even sitting in the Bentley used to transport the Queen to engagements.

It was also reported that Sirjusingh revealed codenames used by royal protection officers for two of the cars used to transport the Queen and told them about her travel plans.

A palace spokeswoman said: 'We can confirm an individual has been suspended pending an investigation.'

Security around the royal residences is supposed to be so strict that even Prince Charles and the Duke of Edinburgh have to present photographic ID cards.

A police spokesman said: 'We are naturally concerned about the issues raised by this story and are liaising with palace officials about their staff security arrangements.'

The incident is the latest in a series of security breaches at the palace, including in 2003 when a tabloid newspaper managed to get a job for one of its reporters working as a member of the household staff.