A FORMER royal harpist was lured into a world of crime because a friend of her boyfriend threatened to tell the newspapers about her drug use, a jury heard yesterday.

Ebbw Vale-born Jemima Phillips, 28, who played at the wedding of the Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles, told police the mystery man had vowed to expose her problems unless she agreed to forge a signature, Gloucester crown court was told.

Phillips claimed she only used the stolen building society book because of threats from the friend of her lover William Davies, 41, who joked: "Give my regards to Prince Charles.’’ Both Davies and Phillips, from St Briavels near Chepstow, deny committing four burglaries in that part of Gloucestershire.

But Phillips admits fraud, by going into the Monmouth branch of Nationwide with the book, before trying and failing to pass herself off as the owner.

In her police interview, Phillips said the man played on her royal connections claiming he could ruin her reputation.

Phillips said on tape: "I don't know anything about either of the burglaries in Coleford. The Nationwide book I do know about.

"Basically how I met Will (Davies) was just on the street a few months ago. I had been using. I don't inject or anything, just smoke.’’ She had been "nursing’’ Davies through detox, she said, explaining that she herself was clean (of heroin).

She had only returned briefly to using drugs to calm her nerves after she came to the attention of the police.

She said: "Someone at the day centre with him was sort-of pressuring me into going and taking this Nationwide book and getting 500 quid out. I had a black cap on and I did it.

"He came out with one of these mates of his and he (the mate) started talking about how I worked for the Royal Family for four years and I'd done a lot with my career and he started telling all the dealers and sorry riff-raff about it.

"This guy took me to one side and was like putting loads of pressure on me and Will needed money to pay his rent. I shouldn't have done it."

The jury also heard that Davies had previous convictions for burglary.

She said she earned "good money’’ from her harpist work and has no need to resort to burglary to get funds.

Both Phillips and Davies, from Cheltenham, deny burglary. Davies has admitted four counts of handling stolen goods, which the prosecution said were not acceptable as alternatives.

Phillips also denies one count of undertaking in the assistance or removal of stolen goods, on May 28.

Proceeding.