Tampongate

The scandal was made public in the United Kingdom on 17 January 1993 by the Sunday People and the Sunday Mirror although by then Australian magazine New Idea and a German tabloid had reported on the matter. The tapes were of a six-minute telephone conversation between the Prince of Wales and his then-mistress recorded on the evening of 18 December 1989, while Parker Bowles was at her home and Charles was at a friend's country house. The tape suggested the reported sexual intimacy between the two was long-standing. In the conversation, which was recorded by a radio amateur who happened to detect the call using a high-tech scanning device, Charles and Camilla joked about the then-prince's wishes for an even closer relationship: ==Reception==

The general consensus following the publication of the tapes was that Charles had embarrassed the British royal family. According to Diana's bodyguard, Ken Wharfe, in his book, Guarding Diana: Protecting the Princess Around the World, he wrote "The backlash was savage. Establishment figures normally loyal to the future King and country were appalled, and some questioned the Prince's suitability to rule." Wharfe also stated that Diana was shocked by the scandal, which prompted her to repeatedly state "It's just sick". The publication of the conversation led Lord Rees-Mogg, editor of The Times, to suspect that MI5 could be behind the scandal. Shortly before, two other recordings of telephone conversations involving members of the royal family had appeared in the press: one between Diana and her lover James Gilbey (which became known as Squidgygate), and another between Prince Andrew and his wife Sarah, Duchess of York. Lord Rees-Mogg stated: The publication of the tape and its repercussions were featured in season 5 of the TV series The Crown. ==References==