William, Kate, Harry and Meghan being watched? spy operations targeting royals revealed

Former prince Andrew's links to Jeffrey Epstein and his wayward behavior cost him his royal titles and caused huge embarrassment not only to the royal family but also to the institution he used to represent and which his brother still spearheads as a king.

People with knowledge of the royal family's history and its significance in the eyes of the establishment were somewhat surprised that nothing personal was leaked when Andrew went about his routine.

In the early 1990s, even the current monarch and his wife's private conversations with each other and with their friends and romantic interests were leaked to the media.

While not all was done by the British intelligence services, much has been written about the extent they went to spy on the royals.

In his 1993 book Diana vs. Charles, veteran journalist James Whitaker touched on the history of spy operations targeting the royals.

Before publishing a conversation between Diana and her girlfriend taking place in Balmoral Castle, the author wrote, royals "are such an important part of social fabric that no risks can be taken. "My security source adds: MI5 sees it as their duty to defend the realm, and will go to any extent to maintain the status quo. Of course people will be shocked at the extent to which the royal family is spied upon - what could be more personal and private than a conversation with your wife in your own house? But at the end of the day the intelligence services are not directly answerable to anyone. They are virtually a law unto themselves."

The author said, "They claim as justification, 'We do this for the Defence of The Realm'."

In his book, the author also revealed how some royal calls intercepted by an amateur radio enthusiast were actually rebroadcast after being cleaned up by a communications specialist with the express intention of it being picked up and recorded by someone.

Cyril Reenen, the man who recorded the conversation between Diana and James Gilbey, later accepted that he was used, without his knowledge, to intercept the conversation.

The role of intelligence agencies spying on the royal family, as discussed by the author, raises questions about whether the new generation of royals, including Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Harry, and Meghan Markle, are still subject to espionage.

After what was written about the security services eavesdropping on Prince Edward, the late Duke of Windsor, and Wallis Simpson, one can only wonder whether Harry and Meghan have been let go off the hook after they moved to the US.

James Whitaker wrote, "While many may find it shocking that the royals are being overheard by the security services, within the service itself it is taken as a matter of course. Anthony Sillitoe, a former intelligence officer whose father, Sir Percy Sillitoe, was director general of MI5 from 1946 to 1953, said, 'I know from personal experience at MI5 that Edward and Wallis Simpson were taped. It would be surprising if the conversations of the royal family were not being taped today.'"