An undercover newspaper reporter has exposed a serious breach of royal security after posing as a footman at Buckingham Palace for two months.
The Daily Mirror'sRyan Parry used bogus references to get a job while the police and royal staff were preparing for the visit of President George W Bush.
Parry was due to serve breakfast to President Bush's top aides this morning, the newspaper said.
The investigation covers 15 pages in today's edition and raises questions over royal security. The story includes pictures of Parry dressed in red livery and shots from inside the palace including the president and his wife's bedroom, The Belgian Suite, the Queen's breakfast table and the Duke of York's room, complete with soft toys.
Parry wrote: "Had I been a terrorist intent on assassinating the Queen or American president George Bush, I could have done so with absolute ease. Indeed, this morning I would have been serving breakfast to key members of his government, including National Security Adviser Condoleeza Rice and US Secretary of State Colin Powell.
"Such is the shocking incompetence at the heart of the biggest security operation ever in Britain."
The White House press office and Buckingham Palace have so far refused to comment. A Metropolitan Police spokeswoman also said she had no response at the moment.
In August, Parry responded to a job advertisement on a recruitment page of the Buckingham Palace official website. On his CV, he excluded details of his journalistic career and included one fake reference and a real one, the newspaper claimed. Parry claimed no rigorous security checks were done on his background.
Despite this, he claimed he was given a full all-areas security pass on his first day and had direct access to the Queen's food, which he said he could have easily poisoned. He added that just days ago, in the midst of the security ahead of the president's visit, he was able to walk through rooms he and his wife would use, taking photographs of the bedroom.
Parry left the Palace at midnight after the arrival of President Bush and his wife, the newspaper said.