Paul Page: The former royal protection officer found guilty of fraud

Paul Page worked at Buckingham Palace for six years, providing armed security for the Queen and the Royal Family.

In 2009 he was jailed following a £3 million property scam. He set up a sham company, tricking colleagues, friends and family into parting with their cash, savings and pension payouts.

The judge said the scheme was “breathtakingly dishonest, relentless and callous”.

The former Buckingham Palace royal protection officer returned to public eye on Tuesday night in an appearance in the ITV documentary, Ghislaine, Prince Andrew and the Paedophile, during which he described the access Ghislaine Maxwell had to the palace.

Last month Maxwell was found guilty of recruiting and trafficking young girls to be sexually abused by paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Speaking for the first time on TV, Page claimed he and his colleagues believed Maxwell might have been in a relationship with the Duke of York.

He said: “From the way she was allowed to enter and exit the palace, at will, we realised… suspected, that she may have had an intimate relationship with Prince Andrew.”

“A colleague of mine remembered her coming in four times in one day from the morning till the evening – she kept coming in and out, in and out…” he claimed.

Page, who says said he first met Maxwell in 2001, had access to Andrew’s private apartments.

He also made an unusual allegation about the Duke of York’s soft toy collection, saying the duke would throw a tantrum if his teddy bears were moved.

There were “about 50 or 60 stuffed toys” positioned on the bed in Prince Andrew’s apartment, Page alleged, saying a laminated diagram was kept in a drawer to help household staff arrange them correctly.

He said: “If those bears weren’t put back in the right order by the maids, he would shout and scream and become verbally abusive.”

Page used to work for the Metropolitan Police. He joined Essex Police in 1992, and moved to the Met three years later.

He transferred to the Royalty Protection Command in 1998.

His betting and property scam involved conning 57 victims over three years, including his own royal protection colleagues and their families and friends.

They thought they were investing in property – but Page was using their money to fund his growing gambling addiction, the court heard during his trial.

He distributed misleading leaflets and promised returns of up to 120%, prosecutors said.

Meanwhile, he was using the money to splash out on luxuries and fund his gambling problem, the court heard.

But his get-rich-quick scheme began to unravel and he was sentenced to six years in jail.

The scam was described as a “major scandal under the Queen’s nose” – with the loss of multimillion fortunes, allegations of dealing steroids, porn, drunkenness on duty – and even death threats.

Victims told the court Page used a variety of excuses to avoid paying them back – from claiming his father had died to pretending a tarantula had infected his eye.