Disgraced bishop who Charles refused to abandon: How Peter Ball rented house from the Duchy of Cornwall after being cautioned over sexual assault

By Rebecca English
Daily Mail
October 7, 2015

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Royal ties: Ball, pictured arriving at London's Old Bailey yesterday, was invited to deliver a homily at the Duchess of Cornwall's father's funeral in 2006

Royal: Ball is pictured in 1992 with the Prince of Wales, whom he once described as 'a loyal friend'

Royal ties: Within weeks of his caution, Ball had moved into a pretty Duchy property, Manor Lodge in the village of Aller, Somerset. At the time, Ball said Prince Charles (above) had been 'wonderfully kind' to him

When the Duchess of Cornwall lost her father in June 2006, Bishop Ball was invited to deliver a homily at his funeral.

His inclusion at such a high-profile event – attended by Prince Charles and his sons William and Harry – was a clear indication of Ball's status in royal circles.

Yet 13 years before the funeral, he had been forced to resign after being cautioned by police over a sexual assault on a teenage monk.

Ball was even renting a house from the Duchy of Cornwall – the private estate which funds the heir to the throne.

He had moved in shortly after his very public disgrace.

Sources close to the prince were last night were unable to confirm whether he had ever written a letter in support of Ball.

And they were keen to point out that even lawyers involved in the case are unable to give details.

At the time of Bruce Shand's funeral at Holy Trinity Church in Stourpaine, Dorset, Ball was still working for the Anglican Church.

A royal source insisted last night there was nothing untoward, adding: 'It's wholly unfair for the prince to be dragged into the centre of a sexual abuse case.'

And yet Charles and his advisers could not fail to have been aware of what had happened.

Ball's arrest in December 1992 was major news at the time, not least because he was one of the church's best known characters, refusing to wear the ceremonial purple of a bishop in favour of simple, monastic robes, sleeping on the floor and taking vows of celibacy.

He had been Bishop of Gloucester for just eight months and Charles was among the guests at his enthronement.

His decision to accept a formal police caution for the offence in March 1993 involved, said Gloucestershire Police, a 'clear admission of guilt as a prerequisite of being cautioned'.

And yet within weeks he had moved into a pretty Duchy property, Manor Lodge in the village of Aller, Somerset. It is claimed that Princess Diana had banned him from visiting Highgrove.

At the time Ball said controversially: 'He [Prince Charles] has been wonderfully kind and allowed me to have a Duchy house. The prince is a loyal friend.

'I have immense admiration for him. He has been through horrific times and is a great person.'

It has been claimed, not least by one of Ball's other alleged victims, that the house was 'purchased' for him by the estate as some sort of gift – a claim Clarence House has angrily rejected.

A spokesman explained yesterday: 'The property [Manor Lodge] was purchased by the Duchy of Cornwall, not by the Prince of Wales, and was tenanted in the usual manner.

'The Duchy of Cornwall owns over a thousand residential properties across the UK. The Prince of Wales, as Duke of Cornwall, holds the legal title to these properties; the Law requires that his name appears on the deeds.'
I believe in the royals and support what they do, but Charles needs to look at the facts before housing someone like that. This is staggering and unreal
Neil Todd's mother

Asked what the 'usual manner' was and how long Ball had lived there for, the spokesman added: 'While Bishop of Gloucester, the diocese which contains Highgrove, Peter Ball rented one of these properties from the Duchy of Cornwall.

'Mr Ball vacated the property before his arrest in 2011. It was subsequently re-let to another tenant. The Duchy of Cornwall eventually sold the property in 2015.'

One royal source acknowledged that Ball was known to the prince, although they played down suggestions of a close friendship, saying: 'Peter Ball was, until his resignation, the Bishop of Gloucester, which is of course the diocese where Highgrove [Charles's private country home] is. The Prince of Wales knows a number of senior members of the Anglican Church.'

In 1998 the mother of the trainee monk sexually abused by Ball, 17-year-old Neil Todd, expressed her outrage in a tabloid newspaper that he was still living in a Duchy property.

Mr Todd left the Church after telling how Ball forced him to perform sex acts as they lay naked in bed together, take ice-cold, early-morning showers while reading the Bible and stand side by side naked reciting psalms in front of a figure of Christ.

He apparently tried to take his own life three times before committing suicide in 2012.

His mother said: 'This man ruined my son's life. He is pure evil, a beast, and he's hiding behind God.

'This is quite unbelievable. I don't know what Prince Charles thinks he is doing. The man ruined my son's life and should have been locked away.

'Instead he now lives in luxury on one of the finest estates in the country. I don't feel Ball was ever properly punished – but the fact that the prince has given sanctuary to this pervert is staggering.

'I believe in the royals and support what they do, but Charles needs to look at the facts before housing someone like that. This is staggering and unreal.'

Charles was photographed with Ball in 1992, before he was arrested.