A Buckingham Palace catering assistant is serving jail time after admitting to stealing items fromQueen Elizabeth’s royal residence and selling the items online.
After Adamo Canto, 37,pleaded guiltyto three counts of theft between November 2019 and August 2020 in November, he was sentenced on Monday to serve eight months in jail, according to theBBC.
The former palace staffer from Scarborough, North Yorkshire, stole a “significant quantity” of items, which police found at his quarters at the palace’s Royal Mews.
Among the stolen items were signed official photographs ofPrince Harry,Prince WilliamandKate Middleton.
Adamo Canto.Kirsty O’Connor/PA Images
Canto stole a royal state banquet photo album of President Donald Trump’s visit to the U.K., worth $2,000.
The court learned that 77 items were taken from the palace shop, while pieces were also stolen from staff lockers, the Queen’s Gallery shop and Prince Andrew’s storeroom.
Queen Elizabeth.Victoria Jones - WPA Pool/Getty
Prosecutor Simon Maughan told the court that the stolen goods, totaling between $13,000 and $135,000, were listed for sale on eBay. A total of 37 items were sold on the website for “well under” their value, earning Canto $10,000.
Canto took advantage of the coronavirus pandemic this year when he gained more access to offices and other areas that he usually did not frequent.
Buckingham Palace.Kate Green/Anadolu Agency via Getty
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Queen Elizabeth, 94, has not been back at her London residence since March. Instead, she’s been spending time with husbandPrince Philip, 99, at Windsor Castle, Sandringham estate and Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
source: people.com
