Conversation that led the Queen to step in

A conversation between the Queen and the Prince of Wales in a royal limousine led to the acquittal of butler Paul Burrell.

The Queen and the Prince were on the way to St Paul's Cathedral in central London for Friday's memorial service for the victims of the Bali bomb blast.

During a general conversation, the Queen mentioned to her son that she had met Mr Burrell in the weeks after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, and the butler had told her he was keeping some papers for safekeeping.

The Prince thought this was significant and that the police should be informed.

"Immediate steps were taken to draw this to the attention of the police," said Buckingham Palace.

"The Queen had not been briefed on either Mr Burrell's defence or the prosecution case against him," said the Palace.

The meeting between the Queen and Mr Burrell, after the Princess's death, was at the butler's request.

The Queen agreed, wishing to show support for him during a difficult time.

General issues were discussed and the meeting was not specifically about papers held in safekeeping and no list of items was handed over.

No response was sought by Mr Burrell from the Queen and she made no comment.

The significance of this meeting was not realised until the Queen returned from Canada, where she undertook a Golden Jubilee tour during the start of the Burrell trial. The Prince of Wales had also been away, staying in Scotland on the Queen's Balmoral estate.

In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: "The decision to drop the case against Mr Burrell was entirely a decision for the prosecution.

"As a prosecution statement to the court made clear this morning, the Queen was not briefed on either Mr Burrell's defence case or the prosecution case against him.

"The prosecution did not ask the Queen, at any stage, for details about her meeting with Mr Burrell."