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482 GCHQ GOES GLOBAL
Elaborate measures had been taken to protect prominent people,
including senior officials, after the assassination of the
Conservative MP Ian Gow by the IRA in July 1990, including
the setting up of a new central unit focused on personal security.
Fantastically complex monitoring equipment and alarms had
been installed in the homes of VIPs by a veritable army of technicians,
some of whom were from the police and security services
and some of whom were contract workers. The same was
true of the royal palaces, and this surge of technical protection
had provided endless opportunities for freelance activity.48
The Queen was particularly disturbed by the 'Squidgygate'
affair, because she immediately recognised what it meant for
the security of all royal communications. Accordingly, in January
1993 she requested that the authorities carry out an internal
investigation to find the culprits. At this point there was a flurry
of meetings and correspondence involving the heads of both
GCHQ and MI5. However, Kenneth Clarke was highly reluctant
to initiate an inquiry, for fear of what might be uncovered,
and was anxious that its findings would themselves leak, triggering
another round of scurrilous stories. 49 The person most
affected by the 'Squidgygate' affair was Diana herself, who
became increasingly obsessed with the threat of audio surveillance.
This extended beyond the telephone, and there was
constant fear of bugs all over her apartments. In 1993 she
arranged for a team of communications security experts recommended
to her by the Duchess of York to sweep her rooms at
Kensington Palace for bugs. They arrived disguised as carpetfitters
and searched for hidden microphones, but were denied
access to the main telephone exchange. 5o By this point, tapes
of conversations between Prince Charles and Camilla Parker­
Bowles had also surfaced, and the Cabinet Secretary Robin
Butler suggested having all the royal premises checked for
evidence of interference with landlines. 51
Since her tragic death on 31 August 1997, Princess Diana's
fears of more widespread monitoring have partly been
confirmed. A news agency submitted a Freedom of Information