November 21, 2003	Friday	Ramazan 25, 1424

LONDON, Nov 20: An undercover reporter who exposed a security lapse at Buckingham Palace claimed on Thursday that security at Windsor Castle, another residence of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, was even worse.

The government on Wednesday ordered an urgent probe after journalist Ryan Parry, who worked as a servant at the London palace for two months, said he could easily have killed US President George W. Bush, who is staying there during his state visit to Britain.

In a second day of revelations, Parry, who works for the mass circulation Daily Mirror, described four days he spent at the queen’s country retreat Windsor Castle, west of London, in October.

Parry wrote that security at Windsor was “even more shocking” considering it had been tightened after comedian Aaron Barschak, a self-styled “comedy terrorist”, gatecrashed Prince William’s 21st birthday celebration at the castle in June.

Parry said that at the castle he gained close access to the queen, carrying food to her apartments, serving her gin and Dubonnet, her favourite tipple, and delivering newspapers and private mail to her room.

Of his experience at Buckingham Palace, Parry wrote on Wednesday: “Had I been a terrorist intent on assassinating the queen or American President George Bush, I could have done so with absolute ease.”

He said he had used bogus references to get a job as a palace footman and was never subjected to “anything close to a rigorous security check” on his background.

“Our investigation makes a mockery of the 10-million-pound security operation set up to protect the president,” he said.

LEGAL ACTION: Britain’s royal house plans to take legal action to gag Ryan Parry, the palace said on Thursday.

“We will be asking the High Court to restrain the newspaper and Mr Parry from further publication of information in breach of the duty of confidence he owes to his former employer,” said the palace in a written statement.—AFP