Britain’s Princess Diana allegedly gave a royal phone book to the News of the World newspaper.
The late Princess of Wales reportedly gave the book of contact numbers to the now-defunct newspaper in a bid to "take on" her estranged husband, Prince Charles, the Old Bailey has heard.
Clive Goodman – who is the former royal editor for News of the World – told the phone-hacking trial that he received the book in 1992 because she wanted to make "an ally" in the press, and he denies claims that he paid for the books.
The princess – who died in a car crash in Paris in 1997, a year after divorcing the prince – initially separated from the Prince of Wales in 1992 after 11 years of marriage and Mr Goodman claims she sent the book to the newspaper and it then ended up in his pigeonhole.
He told the court: "She was at the time going through a very, very tough time.
"She told me she wanted me to see this book, she wanted me to see the scale of her husband’s staff and household, compared to the scale of hers.
"She was in a very bitter situation with the Prince of Wales at the time, she felt she was being swamped by the people close to him.
"She was looking for an ally and to take him on to show the kind of forces that were ranged against her."
Mr Goodman denies conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office and claims he neither paid for the books nor received them from a public official, the trial continues.