Revelations in this weekend's News of the World, the Sunday tabloid owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., have plunged the British Royal family into a new crisis.
     The queen's daughter-in-law, Sophie the Countess of  Wessex, has ignited a potentially explosive confrontation with the government by revealing the Royal Family's private attitudes on a wide range of politically sensitive issues.
     Sophie was duped into allowing herself to be recorded describing the Prime Minister as "President Blair," referring to leader of the opposition William Hague as "sounding like a puppet" and calling Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown's recent budget a "load of pap."
    The remarks were recorded by an undercover journalist posing as a potential client of her public relations firm called R-JH, co-owned with Murray Harkin. 
    The countess announced Sunday that she will step down as chairman of her company.
     The Countess's business partner, who was also present at the meeting, made things worse by revealing himself as a drug user and offering to procure young boys for the undercover reporter.
    The so-called "Sophie Tapes" story filled the first 10 pages of Sunday's News of the World and is another triumph for investigations editor Mazher Mahmood and his wardrobe of fancy dress clothing.
    Mahmood's signature act is dressing in flowing Arab robes and posing as a millionaire sheik. On this occasion the formula varied a little and Mahmood got another journalist - one of his retinue of "stand-in sheiks" - to wear the robes while he posed as his urbane British-educated senior assistant. 
     Although, over the years, his Arab sheik act has become the stuff of legend, with magazines like Private Eye, the U.K.'s equivalent to Spy magazine, reporting on his antics with glee, Mahmood is rarely short of victims. Recently, the fake sheik was used to expose one of the Queen's top security guards who was moonlighting as a bodyguard. His services included the arrangement of drug-fuelled orgies for wealthy clients and an offer to deliver two blonde hookers for $1000 to the hotel suite where the undercover reporters were posing as foreign VIPs.
    The flowing Arab robes also worked on the chairman and deputy chairman of top U.K. soccer team, Newcastle United. 
     Sitting in a Spanish brothel, the two businessmen made a number of derogatory comments about their fans that were recorded and reported by Mahmood.
     Other victims have included TV star John Alford, who was jailed after trying to supply Mahmood with cocaine.
    Another victim, the 10th Earl of Hardwicke, offered drugs to the sheik while standing outside the House of Lords.
     The tools of Mahmood's trade are a wardrobe of just over a dozen Arab outfits, called jalabia. 
    To go with the robes he wears expensive shoes and an extremely flashy $7,000 diamond Rolex watch. To complete the look, he always takes an entourage with him. 
     Mahmood's team includes two stand-in sheiks, security staff, assistants, and Arab women whose faces are covered by traditional veils. The team make sure they always arrive by limousine--rented of course-- and carefully select the venue for their sting, usually one of the large London hotels like the Dorchester or Park Lane Hilton.
    The Sophie Tapes are undoubtedly Mahmood's greatest triumph so far and have proven that, despite the pantomime of fancy dress, the fake sheik still works. 

April 9, 2001 © 2001 Media Life

--Simon Bond covers European media for Media Life, writing from outside of London.

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