December 12, 2013updated 13 Dec 2013 7:24pm

Hacking trial told how cops snacking on Royal nuts ‘irritated’ the Queen

Police guarding Buckingham Palace were ordered not to nibble on royal nuts as it “upset” the Queen, a court has heard.

The trial into alleged phone-hacking was shown an email from former News of the World royal editor Clive Goodman to his boss Andy Coulson outlining the monarch’s displeasure.

The email said the Queen was “irritated” by the snacking police officers who had to be ordered against sampling the nuts believed to have included cashews, almonds and Bombay mix.

"Problem is that police on patrol eat the lot… memo now gone around to all palace cops telling them to keep their sticky fingers out."

He added: "Queen so narked she has started marking the bowls to see when the levels dipped."

Prosecutor Andrew Edis QC told the jury that the Queen was "upset" about the behaviour of the officers, according to Goodman's email.

"Apparently they were helping themselves to nuts," the barrister said.

"They were all being scoffed by police. That irritated Her Majesty apparently."

Amid laughter in court, Mr Justice Saunders joked with the jury that the claim that officers were stealing nuts was "an unproven allegation".

Goodman also claimed in the email that he knew the printer who was doing the order of service for the wedding of the Prince of Wales to the Duchess of Cornwall. He also revealed he had a man checking out the wedding invitations.

He wrote: “Only person to accept so far is Tony Blair," he wrote.

In another email sent in October 2005, Goodman discussed payment to a military colleague of the Duke of Cambridge, in which he referred to William being nicknamed "Prince Dynamo" because of his fitness levels, the jury was told.

Goodman, 56, from Addlestone, Surrey, is charged with former spin doctor Coulson with conspiring to commit misconduct in public office.

Goodman and Coulson, 45, from Charing, Kent, face two allegations that they conspired together and with other unknown people to commit misconduct in public office between 31 August 2002 and 31 January 2003, and between 31 January 2005 and 3 June 2005.

Coulson is also accused of conspiring to hack phones between 3 October 2000 and 9 August 2006.

That charge is also faced by former NoW and Sun editor Rebekah Brooks, 45, of Churchill, Oxfordshire, Ian Edmondson, 44, of Raynes Park, south west London, and former managing editor Stuart Kuttner, 73, of Woodford Green, Essex.

Brooks also faces two counts of conspiring with others to commit misconduct in public office – one between 1 January 2004 and 31 January 2012, and the other between 9 February 2006 and 16 October 2008 – linked to alleged inappropriate payments to public officials.

She also faces two allegations of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice – one with her former personal assistant Cheryl Carter, 49, of Chelmsford, Essex, between 6-9 July 2011, and a second with her husband, Charles Brooks, and former News International head of security Mark Hanna and others between 15 July and 19 July 2011.

All of the defendants deny all of the charges.

The trial continues.