The Countess of Wessex, Sophie Rhys-Jones, was last night expecting fresh allegations in the continuing "Sophie tapes" row.
Royal aides were preparing for further developments, including the possible publication this weekend of embarrassing material from videotapes shot by a fake Arab sheikh.
Publicist Max Clifford thinks allegations that the Countess was indiscreet, slighting senior members of the Royal family and leading politicians, are only the tip of the iceberg.
Advisers at Buckingham Palace fear transcripts of tapes, secretly recorded by an undercover News of the World reporter posing as a rich Arab, may be featured in Sunday's edition of the paper.
The newspaper, which set up the Countess and her business partner, Mr Murray Harkin, in a "sting" operation, is understood to be consulting lawyers on whether to publish.
Earlier yesterday, the Countess (36) appeared in public for her first official royal engagement in Britain since the "Sophie tapes" row erupted. What would have been a low-key visit to open a disability centre became a media frenzy.