Prince Charles hires ex-con as cleaner on his estate... no questions asked

A window cleaner was hired to work on Prince Charles' new £1.3million estate - despite being a convicted burglar.

Royal aides paid Matthew Bell, 35, £1,200 for the two-day job just before Charles and Camilla moved in - and now plan to use him monthly.

However, no one carried out a basic background investigation that would have revealed his TWO spells in jail.

One police source said yesterday: "I can't believe they didn't vet him. It's unusual for anyone to get work at a Royal household without checks."

In 2003 Matthew got nine months for a break-in.

Last year he served 21 days for snubbing a road conviction fine.

The dad-of--two, of Llandeilo, West Wales, set up cleaning firm Inside and Out this year and insisted he was reformed. He said: "I'm a changed man and I've worked bloody hard for this.

"I did an absolutely beautiful job up there and nothing went missing.

"I don't go to houses thinking, 'I could get £100 for that TV', because that's a part of my life that's gone.

"Prince Charles has talked of offenders being given a second chance. Now it's his chance to give me one."

Matthew was stunned when the prince's aide Andrew Farquharson rang to ask him to clean at 192-acre Llwyny wormwood Estate near Llandovery, Carmarthenshire.

He said: "When he said he worked for the prince I told him to sod off as I thought he was having a laugh, but he rang back and offered me the job.

"I'm not going to lie to them about my past but nobody asked me."

Matthew said locals were happy to wipe the slate clean. His 300 clients include two nursing homes.

He said: "I told everyone I was a burglar but they admired me for my honesty and no one turned me away."

A spokesman for the prince said: "He was employed on a contract basis following a recommendation. He was under supervision at all times."