Royal author Richard Aldrich has revealed the secret involvement of the British Royal Family in the shadowy world of international espionage in a new book The Secret Royals. The book, co-authored with researcher Rory Cormac, has detailed the "active" role Queen Elizabeth II plays in the security community as a "diplomat" and "top spymaster." Mr Aldrich has described the new book as the "Royal Family seen through the eyes of 007."

       Professor Aldrich told The Royal Beat: "The Secret Royals really tells a new story about the Royal Family.

       "It is the Royal Family seen through the eyes of 007.

       "What we discovered as we researched the book is that Queen Victoria, our current Queen, are not just recipients of the top intelligence.

       "They are top diplomats, they are top spymaster."

       He added: "They really are active in the international scene, and doing some of the most surprising operations.

       In an excerpt from the book published on Mail Online, the authors wrote: "But their biggest worry was young women, and this became a particular problem in the Rag Week of 1968 — an annual, anarchic event when students dressed up in silly clothes and played pranks to raise money for charity.

       "According to Michael Varney, the Prince’s personal bodyguard, events ‘came within a hairsbreadth’ of disaster.

       "Varney learnt through police intelligence that a group of female Manchester University students, ‘all Women’s Libbers of the most strident kind’, planned to raid Trinity, kidnap Charles and hold him to ransom.

       "Worse still, ‘a fifth column’ existed inside Cambridge since the team from Manchester had eager and willing accomplices from the women of Girton College.

       "Together, they were keen to pull off ‘their coup’ without ‘any male assistance whatsoever."

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